Monument record MDO18367 - Roman Road, Acland Road gas pipe, Dorchester

An exposure of Roman road gravels was recorded in 1979 by Christopher Sparey Green in a gas pipe trench along Acland Road, Dorchester. Where it could be determined, the road was constructed directly on natural chalk and there appears to have been two main phases of road construction, comprising two main deposits of sand and gravels, perhaps indicating a major repair/resurfacing of the road. These gravels appear to be part of a N-S Roman road which runs approximately along the line of Acland Road.

An exposure of Roman road gravels was recorded in 1979 by Christopher Sparey Green in a gas pipe trench along Acland Road, Dorchester. The gravels were traced for a distance of about 14m and lay about 0.4m below the surface. Where it could be determined, the road was constructed directly on natural chalk. The road gravels appeared to comprise two main deposits, perhaps indicating a major repair/resurfacing of the road. The lower gravels were between 0.3-0.4m thick and comprised layers of chalk rubble and grey and yellow sand and gravel. In one location, there was a deposit of limestone rubble at the base. This would be unusual in a Roman road make-up in Dorchester. Unfortunately, the above the rubble layer, the section had collapsed and it is unclear whether the limestone was sealed beneath the earlier road. It is possible that there was some disturbance at this point.

The upper road gravels appear to have been separated from the lower by a layer of grey silt about 0.15m thick. The upper gravels were about 0.5m thick and comprised layers of grey and yellow sand and gravel. The upper surface of this road was somewhat irregular, indicating the presence of ruts and potholes. There is some suggestion that the centre line of the upper road lay slightly west of the centre line of the earlier road.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 1430699 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Wessex Archaeology, 1956-1985, Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, W66.18 (Excavation archive). SDO9916.

Keen, L, 1979, Dorset Archaeology in 1979. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 135 (Article in serial). SDO9647.

Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, p7, Observation 18 (Monograph). SDO9411.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:29PM