SDO21086 - The Former Grove School, School Lane, Dorchester. Archaeological Evaluation

‘Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by East Boro Housing Trust to undertake an archaeological evaluation of a small parcel of land within the Former Grove School, School Lane, The Grove, Dorchester, centred on NGR 368838 090973. The school building and garden lies within an area recognised as being of high archaeological potential for human remains and possibly within the line of the Dorchester Roman defences. The Site is being proposed for redevelopment and an evaluation of the proposed development was required to inform the determination of the present application (WD/D/17/000970) and to aid decisions regarding potential planning conditions. The Site, comprising an area approximately 18 metres by 25 metres, is located at the northern end of School Lane and to the west of The Grove, within the northern edge of Dorchester walled town. The evaluation comprised two trenches (12 metres by 1.6 metres and 6 metres by 1.6 metres) forming an approximate 6% sample by area. No archaeological features or deposits were revealed in either of the two trial trenches. The natural chalk natural was encountered at a depth of between 0.70 to 0.90 metres below the current ground surface. The chalk natural was sealed by a sequence of garden soils which included modern ceramics, brick, bottle glass and animal bone, although no earlier finds were noted. The presence of visible periglacial scarring within the top of the chalk would appear to strongly suggest that no significant previous truncation of the Site. Accordingly, despite the results of the evaluation, although there is no evidence to suggest that the Site lies within the line of the former Roman defences, it is still possible that there is the potential for the survival of small discrete archaeological features and deposits, including human remains.’