Monument record MDO18127 - Greyhound Yard, Roman building 2460

The remains of a stone building behind the eastern street frontage of the Greyhound Yard insula found during the 1984 excavations at Greyhound Yard.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1984 prior to the redevelopment of the area of the former Greyhound Yard. (1) The results of the excavation were published together with the results of the adjacent Old Methodist Chapel excavations. (2) The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the published report (2).

This stone building lay behind the eastern street frontage of the Greyhound Yard insula. It was a small rectangular building about 10m by 5m, built on a slight terrace[2459] cut into the slope behind the area of Building 5452 on the frontage. Parts of the terrace were covered with mortar and the building was constructed directly on top of the terrace in the northwest corner and elsewhere further downhill it was constructed on shallow footings trenches filled with flint rubble [4726, 2463, 2699, 4675]. Parts of the walls of Building 2460 survived on the north, west and south sides. These were of mortared limestone, about 0.6m wide, with two layers of red-painted wall plaster surviving on the northern internal wall face. No contemporary floors or surfaces were recognised.

The line of the western wall of the building was continued southwards by a length of walling [2702] identical in construction to the rest of the building.

No evidence for the function of this building was recovered. The excavators suggest that this building was added to the rear of the timber building 5452 on the street frontage. There is limited dating evidence suggesting a construction date in the late 3rd century. It probably went out of use in the 4th century when it was partially demolished for the construction of Building 2700.

Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Dorchester, Durnovaria: Excavations in the town centre at Greyhound Yard, and the Old Methodist Chapel (1982-1984): Interim and introductory notes to the current excavations (Unpublished document). SDO9435.

Wessex Archaeology, 1984, Greyhound Yard, Dorchester excavation archive (Excavation archive). SDO9456.

<1> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1984, Excavations at the Greyhound Yard Car Park, Dorchester, 1984, 99-106 (Article in serial). SDO9437.

<2> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, 57 (Monograph). SDO9411.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:27PM