Monument record MDO18624 - Applegates, 34 Trinity Street, Dorchester; Late Roman stone building

The remains of a large late Roman courtyard house were found on the Roman street frontage during excavations on the site of Applegates, 34 Trinity Street, Dorchester in 1971. Only a small part of this building was exposed, but the plan appeared to consist of a main range with a corridor along the front and projecting wings around a courtyard fronting on to the street. The building had been heavily robbed and only a small part of the mortared flint footings survived. The floors had been destroyed, but the robbing debris included mosaic fragments suggesting the former presence of tessellated floors. Significant quantities of painted plaster were recovered decorated in a variety of schemes including an unusual pattern with leaves and berries. The roofs were probably all of ceramic tile. The evidence suggests this was a town house of fairly high status. The courtyard had a rammed chalk surface with a well in the centre. This building was probably constructed after about AD280, but there was no secure dating evidence for the destruction of this building, but a date in the later 4th century seems likely. The remains of the building were heavily robbed during the medieval and post-medieval periods.

The remains of a large Late Roman stone building were found on the Roman street frontage during excavations on the site of Applegates, 34 Trinity Street , Dorchester in 1971 (1) (2). Only a small part of this building was exposed on the site. This comprised a courtyard to the east fronting on to the west side of the road with a corridor running round the north and east sides of this courtyard and rooms off the corridor to the north and west, and a small square room at the east end of the corridor. These remains probably form part of a large house with a corridor along the front of the main range and projecting wings. The building had been heavily robbed and many of the walls were marked by robbing trenches only and most of the floors had been destroyed. Where the walls survived, they comprised footings of mortared flints, some laid in herringbone fashion, with large rectangular limestone quoins. The only fragment of flooring that survived was in the corridor, where a hard-packed chalk layer was found. It is unclear whether this was the remains of the floor itself or part of the floor make-up, but in the robbing debris there were significant quantities of coarse tesserae which might indicate it originally had a tessellated floor. There was also a tiny fragment of a four or five coloured fine mosaic and other small tesserae from robbing layers, indicating the former presence of a high quality mosaic in one of the rooms in this building. Significant quantities of painted plaster were recovered, decorated in a variety of schemes including an unusual pattern with leaves and berries. The roofs were probably all of ceramic tile. The evidence suggests this was a town house of fairly high status.

The courtyard had a rammed chalk surface. A well was dug in the middle of the courtyard and had a limestone block lining in the upper part. Two postholes were found adjacent to the well and may have been associated with it. It was filled with dark soil containing some demolition debris.

This building was constructed over the demolition and levelling remains of the previous building on the site. These layers included a coin of c. AD270-290 and post-AD270 New Forest ware pottery, which indicate that the building was constructed after about AD280. There was no secure dating evidence for the destruction of this building, but a date in the later 4th century seems likely.

The remains of the building were heavily robbed. There may have been some repair/demolition and robbing of part of this building during the Roman period as a large dump of mortar rubble and wall plaster was found immediately on top of the Roman street surface, suggesting that the street was still in use at the time. No secure date for this phase of activity was recovered. The majority of the robbing activity probably dates from the 14th to the 18th century, judging from the finds in the robber trenches.

Jones, M E, 1988, White Tesserae from Roman Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 160-161 (Article in serial). SDO10069.

<1> O'Connor, B J, and Startin, W A, 1972, 'Excavations for the Dorchester Excavation Committee, Interim Report, 1971: 34 Trinity Street' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 151-152 (Article in serial). SDO9889.

<2> Wilson, D R, 1972, 'Roman Britain in 1971: Southern Counties' Britannia, 345 (Article in serial). SDO9891.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:30PM