EDO839 - Sherborne School Library; excavations 1967-8

The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School undertook an excavation during the winter of 1967-8 in the interior south ground floor room of the School library. The discovery of dry rot had led to the floor being removed. This building had originally been the monastic outer parlour. At a depth of 2 ft below the floor, almost the whole length of a two-coursed plinth was uncovered, along the north internal face of the south wall. This plinth returned towards the south beneath the library wall and along the interior edge of the west wall of the church. This was interpreted as the north wall of the NW transept of the Saxon church. Furthermore, 3 ft north of the south wall of the library, a mass of large stones pitched into wet clay were interpreted as part of the massive foundations of the west tower and narthex of the Saxon church. A fine 15th century Ham stone fireplace was also revealed on removal of the 19th century dado on the west wall. Also the area of the library appears to have been used as a pottery in the 17th century with a cobbled stone floor, fire blackened in places, and post-holes for potters’ furniture. Many sherds of pottery, some possibly wasters were also found. Evidence for the east wall of an earlier west cloister range was also found running N-S at the east side of the library (1).