Monument record MDO18845 - Roman road remains, South Street, Dorchester

A section through a Roman street was recorded in a gas-main trench along South Street in 1979. The street ran roughly E-W and was 7-8 m wide, with two phases of construction evident. It was laid directly on the old ground surface indicating a primary date of road in the Roman urban sequence.

Christopher Sparey Green recorded a section of Roman street exposed in a gas-main trench along South Street in 1979. The street ran roughly E-W and was 7-8 m wide, with two phases of construction evident. A ditch cut the northern edge of the street at a date later than the first metalling and a partly obscured ditch also ran along south side. This street was laid on a sterile old ground surface indicating a primary date of road in Roman urban sequence. A samian sherd of Neronian-Flavian date was found in the upper street make-up. (1-2)

<1> Keen, L, 1979, Dorset Archaeology in 1979. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 135 (Article in serial). SDO9647.

Further south opposite the Methodist Church, a metalled road 7-8 m wide continued the line of an E-W road already recorded in the western half of the town (SY 69259064). This was flanked on the south by a substantial building with chalk floors and flint and mortar walls extending 35-40 m to the south. Traces of earlier, slighter structures underlay it.

<2> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, 5-6 (Monograph). SDO9411.

OBSERVATION 13: Section exposed in gas-main trench along South Street. Section through east-west Roman Street to north of the insula (PDNHAS 101, 135), 7-8 m wide, two phases of construction as further to the west. Street bounded to north by wall foundations demarcating open area of chalk to north, identified as area of Forum under Cornhill (RCHM 1970, 565-6, Monument 196; Green unpubl.). At date later than first metalling, ditch cut along north cambered edge. Partly obscured ditch also ran along south side, separating street form buildings. Road laid on sterile old ground surface, as elsewhere in town, indicating primary date of road in Roman urban sequence. Samian sherd from upper street make-up of Neronian-Flavian date.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1430696 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:32PM