Monument record MDO19030 - Roman building, 34A High West Street, Dorchester

In March 1937, Roman building remains were recorded during the construction of a building at 34A High West Street. These building remains projected into High West Street. The Roman building remains comprised a single wall running roughly E-W which appeared to define the southern end of a room, which was provided with a tessellated floor. The northern end of the room was not found as it probably lay further to the north, butr unfortunately the northern end of the trench was disturbed. Plain tessellated floors were found at two levels, perhaps suggesting a later replacement floor or even another building constructed on the same site. Alternatively, they may be part of the same floor, part of which had subsided into a large feature, which lay under the southern part of the building. However, the base for the two floors appears to be different and two different sizes and colours (blue-grey and light grey) tesserae survive. No clear dating evidence for this building was recovered, nor can the elements of its plan be reconstructed. The remains of a later structure, in the form of a possible chalk and grey earth floor with a single associated posthole was found to the south and sealing the remains of the wall of the Roman building. The date of this later structure is not known and it need not be Roman.

In March 1937, Roman building remains, including a wall and possibly two tessellated floors were recorded during the construction of a building at 34A High West Street <1-2>. An area of about 4.9m by 1.5m was exposed along the western side of the plot, adjacent to 35 High West Street, projecting about 1.5m north of the frontage. (This is a different reading of the notes from that suggested by R Farrar <2>, who says the section continued for about 16ft (4.9m) north of the frontage).

The Roman building remains comprised a single wall running roughly E-W which appeared to define the southern end of a room, which was provided with a tessellated floor. It may have defined the southern limit of the building as no associated floor surfaces were found to the south. The northern end of the room was not found as it probably lay further to the north, unfortunately the northern end of the trench was disturbed. Plain tessellated floors were found at two levels (one about 0.3m above the other), perhaps suggesting a later replacement floor, or even another building constructed on the same site. Unfortunately, the site records are unclear and the two floors do not physically overlie each other: the lower floor is sunk into the top of an earlier large pit or ditch and possibly the difference in level was caused by subsidence. However, the base for the two floors appears to be different and two different sizes and colours (blue-grey and light grey) tesserae survive <3>. The lower floor appears to have been constructed directly on a thin layer of make-up. The upper floor was bedded on a layer of yellowish mortar over a layer of make-up.

No clear dating evidence for this building was recovered, nor can the elements of its plan be reconstructed.

The remains of a later structure, in the form of a possible chalk and grey earth floor with a single associated posthole was found to the south and sealing the remains of the wall of the Roman building. The date of this later structure is not known and it need not be Roman <2>.

<1> Chancellor, E C, 1937, 'Annual General Meeting' Proceedings of the Natural History and Archaeological Society, xxx (Article in serial). SDO9763.

<2> Drew, C D, 1937, 35 High West Street, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10185.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 567 (Monograph). SDO150.

<4> Cosh, S R, and Neal, D S, 2005, Roman Mosaics of Britain. Volume II South-west Britain, 105 (Monograph). SDO10182.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1410296 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:35PM