Monument record MDO18161 - Greyhound Yard, George Elwes' house and malt-house

The remains of a brick-built L-shaped building with a stone floor was found in the southwest corner of the 1984 Greyhound Yard excavations. This building was largely destroyed during the initial clearance of the site but can be identified on the 1772 map of Dorchester and by 1746 it was the house and malt-house of George Elwes. It was demolished before 1810.

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).

Part of an L-shaped building was exposed in the southwest corner of the excavations. Most of this building was removed during initial ground clearance. Parts of the southwest corner of a brick-built building were recorded and parts of a limestone slab floor. This can be identified on Hutchins’ 1772 map of Dorchester (3) and documentary records indicate that by 1746 it was the house and malt-house of George Elwes. This building had been demolished by the time of the 1810 survey (4).

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at Greyhound Yard, and the Old Methodist Chapel (1982-1984): Interim and introductory notes to the current excavations (Unpublished document).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, 109-110 (Monograph). SDO9411.

<3> Price, J, 1772, Plan of Dorchester (Map). SDO9548.

<4> Anon, 1810, Map of the Borough of Dorchester, Dorset (Map). SDO9545.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:27PM