Monument record MDO18202 - 19 North Square, Dorchester; ice house

Part of an icehouse or ice well was revealed during a watching brief on the construction of a new extension to the rear of 19 North Square, Dorchester, undertaken by Terrain Archaeology in 2003. It comprised an L-shaped structure in mortared rubble stone and brick with brick vaulted roof and a vertical shaft. It was not fully exposed or recorded. It had been demolished by the mid 19th century. It probably belonged to one of the numerous butchers or fishmongers who traded in North Square.

The remains of an ice house were found during a watching brief to the rear of 19 North Square, Dorchester, undertaken by Terrain Archaeology in 2003. This icehouse straddled the northern boundary of the property and was only partially exposed and was not fully recorded.

The icehouse comprised an L-shaped structure, measuring about 2.95m by 1.15m internally. The internal corner to the northeast was rounded, but all other corners appeared to be squared. It was constructed from mortared limestone rubble and the superstructure comprised 0.4m wide mortared limestone rubble walls. Within the area of the site, the walls had been demolished down to the level of the chalk. The icehouse was capped by a rather flat brick vaulting. This may not have been original, but may have been a capping added after it had become disused. The northern boundary wall is built over this brick vaulting.

The icehouse is shown on the 1810 and 1848 maps of Dorchester (2) (3), but is not shown on the 1854 Public Health Map (4), suggesting that it had become disused in the mid 19th century.

This icehouse probably belonged to one of the numerous butchers or fishmongers who traded in this area of North Square.

Bellamy, P S, 2003, Dorchester, 19 North Square. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeology Society, 164 (Article in serial). SDO9450.

<1> Bellamy, P and Tatler, S, 2004, 19 North Square, Dorchester, Dorset: Archaeological Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SDO9449.

<2> Anon, 1810, Map of the Borough of Dorchester, Dorset (Map). SDO9545.

<3> Anon, 1849, Map of the Borough of Dorchester, Dorset (Map). SDO9547.

<4> Whitehead, A, 1854, Dorchester District surveyed for the purposes of the Public Health Act 1848 (Map). SDO9549.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:27PM