Monument record MDO18636 - County Hall; Post-built Structure 571

Structure 571 was discovered during excavations by Wessex Archaeology at County Hall in 1988. Measuring 9.5m x 4.5m and aligned NW-SE, the line of the walls was defined by a total of 21 post-holes. No identifiable entrance or associated surface survived and there was no indication of the ground surface having been terraced prior to construction. A further alignment of post-holes subdivided the structure unevenly along its length, creating an aisle or corridor along the southern side. The limited finds suggest a 4th century date. To the south and east of the structure at least two post alignments were evident radiating from the SE corner at right angles to each other. These may represent associated fence-lines.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1988 prior to construction of the New Computer Wing and car parking facilities at County Hall, Dorchester (1) (2). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published report (2).

Structure 571 was rectangular in plan, 9.5m long and 4.5m wide, and aligned NW-SE. The line of the walls was defined by a total of 21 post-holes, generally 0.4m in diameter and no greater than 0.25m in depth, with rounded profiles. Flint nodules and occasional ceramic tile made up the post packing but no post pipes were visible. The posts were generally set 1.5m apart, slightly further on the north wall (c.2.5m). There was no identifiable entrance to the structure and no associated surfaces survived. Neither was there any indication that the ground had been terraced prior to construction, with the ground level falling by 0.5m from south to north.

An alignment of six postholes was identified within the structure of comparable size and depth to those comprising the external walls. They lay adjacent and almost parallel to the south wall forming an unequal subdivision of the structure with, effectively, an aisle in the southern part. It is possible that they represent a repair or rebuilding of the southern side, part of the construction of which overlay an earlier ditch and which may have led to some subsidence.

In the absence of associated floors or surfaces, dating evidence is based on stratigraphic relationships of the post-holes to other features. This suggests the structure was built later than the end of the 2nd century. A bone pin and fragment of vessel glass from the posthole fills suggests a later date, probably in the 4th century, although these could be intrusive.

To the south and east of the structure was a series of other postholes and slots from which two post-alignments could be identified. One ran in a SE direction from the eastern wall and consisted of five post-holes and may have continued under the eastern baulk of the excavation. The second ran in a southerly direction from the south wall of the structure and consisted of at least 4 postholes, although the alignment is unclear after the fourth posthole. Three slots were also parallel to the walls and fence-lines and may represent foundation trenches for sunken cill beams, although no structure could be identified.

The structure and associated features are interpreted as a barn and fence-lines and tentatively dated to the later 4th century primarily by virtue of their incompatible alignment with the ditched enclosure, which dated from the late 3rd-early 4th century.

Wessex Archaeology, 1988, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10074.

<1> Smith, R J C, 1993, Excavations at County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, 1988 in the North-West Quarter of Durnovaria (Monograph). SDO9660.

<2> Smith, R J C, 1988, 'Excavations at County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, 1988' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9661.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:30PM