Monument record MDO18508 - Wollaston Field, Dorchester; Roman floors

The remains of a number of possible Roman floors were uncovered in Trial Pit D during an evaluation undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in Wollaston Field during 1987. At the base of the trench was a surface of gravel and flint with occasional fragments of tile and limestone. This surface was not excavated and no dating evidence was recovered. It was sealed by a thin layer of dark brown silty soil, which was sealed, in turn,by a mortar floor with a limestone and flint rubble base, which contained 4th century AD finds. It is unclear whether the surfaces were the remains of internal or external surfaces, but the former is thought more likely given their character and limited extent across the site. It is possible that they belong to a building on the eastern edge of the bath house.

The remains of a number of possible Roman floors were uncovered in Trial Pit D during an evaluation undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in Wollaston Field during 1987. At the base of the trench was a surface of gravel and flint with occasional fragments of tile and limestone. This surface was not excavated and no dating evidence was recovered. It was sealed by a thin layer of dark brown silty soil, which was sealed by a 0.3-0.4m thick layer of limestone and flint rubble, which formed a base for a mortar floor 0.2m thick. This later floor contained 4th century AD finds.

It is unclear whether the surfaces were the remains of internal or external surfaces, but the former is thought more likely given their character and limited extent across the site. It is possible that they belong to a building on the eastern edge of the bath house.

Four trenches excavated in Wollaston Field in 1987-8. A 4th century mosaic, wall footings, and remains of a Roman road, probably that seen in Durngate in 1975/6, were discovered.

Woodward, P J, Fletcher, M, and Pearce, P, 1987, Excavations at Wollaston Field, Icen Way, Dorchester, Dorset: Assessment trenches (Unpublished document). SDO9422.

Wessex Archaeology, 1987, Wollaston Field, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO9993.

Woodward, P J, 1988, 'Excavations and Observations at Wollaston Field, Icen Way, Dorchester' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 147 (Article in serial). SDO9423.

Frere, S S, 1988, 'Roman Britain in 1987: 1. Sites explored' Britannia, 475 (Article in serial). SDO10055.

Bellamy, P S, 1988, Wollaston Field, Dorchester, Excavations and Observations 1987-1988 (Unpublished document). SDO9857.

Frere, S S, 1989, 'Roman Britain in 1988: 1. Sites explored' Britannia, 350 (Article in serial). SDO10073.

Frere, S S, 1990, 'Roman Britain in 1989: 1. Sites explored' Britannia, 350 (Article in serial). SDO10046.

Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 RS 4205-6, 1430924 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14793.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:29PM