Monument record MDO18968 - Telephone Cable Trench, Trinity Street, Dorchester; Roman road

Roman street.Two cambered layers of metalling separated by clay was discovered when cut by a cable trench. Thought to lie almost east-west, and at least 21 feet wide. Immediately to the north, metalling 12 feet wide and 9 inches thick was thought to diverged to the west-north-west.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 551 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(ii) Two cambered layers of 'metalling' separated by 'clay' and based on a chalk deposit, some 20 ins. thick in all, were cut through at a depth of about 3 ft. by a telephone-cable trench alongside the E. kerb towards the foot of Trinity Street (69179036); the S. edge was not exposed but the width was at least 21 ft. The direction was thought to be slightly S. of due W. Overlying deposits of chalk and loam were believed to be the base of the Roman town rampart, but the 'metalling' was some 8 yds. too far N. to coincide with the line of the sub-rampart metalling of different construction, at Lee Motors some 30 yds. to the W. (see Defences (174b) and Street (176)).'

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1430678 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:34PM