EDO4454 - Dorchester Aqueduct Excavations 1902, five cuttings , south of Whitfield Farm

In 1902 a series of 7 cuttings were made across the line of the proposed Dorchester Aqueduct by Colley March and H. B. Middleton in the name of antiquarian research [2][3]. Five cuts were made on the eastern side of Fordington Bottom, south of Whitfield Farm in order to explain a section of the proposed route which had an adverse gradient in which the terrace dipped to 16 fett below the Poundbury level. It was revealed that the aqueduct terrace had been re-used as a cultivation lynchet at this point and the adverse slope was caused by an access ramp to the lynchet having been cut here. The aqueduct channel was shown to continue further up the slope at a gradient consistent with the rest of its route [2][3]. One of the five cuttings (cutting E) contained Samian ware [2].