Monument record MDO18740 - Wadham House Roman Street A

Evidence for a Roman Street was discovered during excavations behind Wadham House, High West Street, Dorchester in 1968. The late 1st century, N-S aligned, street was the earliest feature on site and probably built alongside an enormous conduit of similar date. The street was located towards the east end of the trench, to the west of the conduit. It was composed of tightly packed flints graded from 0.1 x 0.08 x 0.05m at the bottom to fine gravel at the surface. The surface appeared to be rutted and there was a possible marking out trench below the road metal. No artefacts were recovered from these associated features, although the street appears stratigraphically to be either contemporary with or earlier than the adjacent late 1st century conduit.

Found during the excavation of a 27.5m x 3m trench during December and January 1968-9, dug in advance of the redevelopment of the back garden of Wadham House, 50 High West Street, Dorchester. The Excavation has been published as part of the ‘Dorchester Excavations Volume 1’ (Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph 2) (1).

The late 1st century, N-S aligned, street was the earliest feature on site and probably built alongside an enormous conduit of similar date. The street was located towards the east end of the trench, to the west of the conduit. It was composed of tightly packed flints graded from 0.1 x 0.08 x 0.05m at the bottom to fine gravel at the surface. The surface appeared to be rutted and there was a possible marking out trench below the road metal.

This surface represents the first metalling of the road, laid directly on to the turf. The cleanness of this turf, which contains 1st century material where observed elsewhere in the Roman town, suggests that the road was laid out very early in the life of town. A later re-metalling and widening of the street occurred, possibly in the mid 3rd century AD.

No artefacts were recovered from the original road surface or the associated rut and gully, although the street appears stratigraphically to be either contemporary with or earlier than the adjacent late 1st century conduit.

<1> Draper, J, and Chaplin, C, 1982, Dorchester Excavations Volume 1: Excavations at Wadham House 1968; Dorchester Prison 1970, 1975 and 1978; and Glyde Path Road 1966, 3-26 (Monograph). SDO9690.

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1410290 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:31PM