SDO118 - An Archaeological Evaluation in Advance of Repairs to the Town Walls, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset

An archaeological field evaluation, by means of trench excavation carried out in advance of proposed repairs to the town walls at Colliton Park, Dorchester was undertaken by AC archaeology during March 2001. The town walls in Colliton Park are located along on the line of the Roman town rampart defences, forming the north-west corner of the Roman town. The present walls are of 17th and 18th century date. Three trenches (A - C) were machine-excavated in the car park of County Hall on the south side of the wall, and two (D and E) were hand-excavated on a grass verge immediately to the north of the wall. Trenches A to C lie within the Roman town house Scheduled Ancient Monument (M141) and D and E were located on the town defences Scheduled Ancient Monument (M648). The evaluation has established the survival of the town rampart in every trench, the layers forming the structure composed of orange-brown sandy clay or chalk rubble. Overlying the layers forming the rampart were levelling or infilling deposits, most considered to be of post-medieval or modern date. The results from each trench provide a record of the sequence of construction comparable with sections previously recorded on and across the Roman town defences close to this location. Following completion of the evaluation it is now possible to establish in each trench the level at which intact Romano-British levels occur, thus providing sufficient archaeological information to enable the wall repairs to be carried out without impacting on the town rampart.