Monument record MDO19051 - Roman building, Tilley's Motor Salesrooms, 45 South Street, Dorchester

Mosaic pavement found in 1905 on the east side of Trinity Street. It is almost identical in design to the 4th century mosaic at Lydney (SO 60 SW 1). In 1908 tesserae were used to floor the porch in the County Museum. Further parts were destroyed in 1912.

SY69219052. Remains seen in 1964 suggest that the building extended to the south. <1-2>


Two Roman bronze coins of Constans (AD337-350) were found on the mosaic floor. (2)

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 563 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(193) Building, mosaic pavement only, found in 1905 about 40 ft. from Trinity Street nearly opposite the passage to Somerleigh Road, in building Tilley's Motor Salerooms, 45 South Street (69209053).

The whole pavement, including a surround of coarse grey tesserae varied with a narrow band or bands of red and with finer white tesserae on the inside, was some 14 ft. square. The design, in black, white, red and grey ½ in. tesserae, was a panel 8 ft. square bordered with two-strand guilloche enclosing quadrants at the corners and containing an eight-pointed star formed by two intersecting squares, also of two-strand guilloche. The destroyed centre was almost certainly a circular medallion with quatrefoil, as in two late 4th-century mosaics, one of them almost identical in design, in ancillary buildings of the temple at Lydney (R. E. M. and T. V. Wheeler, Lydney Park, Gloucestershire (1932), pl. xxi). Two coins of Constans (A.D. 333–50) were found on the pavement. Flooring in the porch of the D.C.M. was made up in 1908 of tesserae from this site; further parts of the surround were destroyed in 1912. (Moule MS., 48; photograph, and sketch plan by J. E. Acland, in D.C.M.) Remains seen in 1964 suggested that the building had continued to the S. (69219052; Dorset Procs. LXXXVIII (1966), 110–11).'

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1959, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1957, 110 (Serial). SDO57.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1410251 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:35PM