Monument record MDO18518 - South Station, Dorchester; ditches

Two parallel ditches were observed running roughly NE-SW during a watching brief on the construction of a new entrance to Dorchester South Station. Both ditches were filled with reddish-brown clay, might indicate a prehistoric date. Neither ditch was excavated and no dating evidence was recovered. Without further data, the date and function of these ditches is unclear. Both appear to run towards the entrance to Maumbury Rings to the south and may represent a prehistoric boundary aligned on the henge. It is also possible that these ditches are part of the Civil War ‘covered way’ which runs from Maumbury towards Dorchester. However, both ditches are smaller in scale than the ‘covered way’ at Maumbury and the alignment seems to be further to the east than might be expected if it was running towards the south gate of the town.

Two parallel ditches were observed running roughly NE-SW during a watching brief on the construction of a new entrance to Dorchester South Station (1). The western ditch was 2.5m wide and the eastern ditch, three metres to the east, was 1.5m wide. Both ditches were filled with reddish-brown clay, might indicate a prehistoric date. Neither ditch was excavated and no dating evidence was recovered.

Without further data, the date and function of these ditches is unclear. Both appear to run towards the entrance to Maumbury Rings to the south and may represent a prehistoric boundary aligned on the henge. It is also possible that these ditches are part of the Civil War ‘covered way’ which runs from Maumbury towards Dorchester. However, both ditches are smaller in scale than the ‘covered way’ at Maumbury and the alignment seems to be further to the east than might be expected if it was running towards the south gate of the town.

<1> Pearce, P, 1986, 'Observations at South Station, Dorchester' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 180 (Article in serial). SDO9563.

Record last edited

Sep 25 2007 3:19AM