SDO9672 - Trial Pits at Colliton Street Youth Centre, Dorchester

Steve Wallis of Dorset County Council Archaeology Service, inspected 4 engineering trial pits at Colliton Street Youth Centre, on 1st April 1999. The site had previously been the subject of an archaeological evaluation by Wessex Archaeology. Each of the trial pits measured approximately 1.7m x 0.7m and were over 1.5m deep. Each was inspected from the adjacent ground surface only. Trial pits 1, 2 and 4 each revealed 0.25m -0.3m of modern surfacing overlying 1.5m -1.7m of soil, overlying chalk bedrock, although in pit 4 the modern surface lay directly on top of chalk bedrock. The deep soil in pits 1 and 2 is presumed to be the post-medieval soil layer found in the earlier evaluation trenches. Trial pit 3 revealed a feature cut into the natural chalk and sealed below 0.6m of overburden. It was over 1.5m deep with a U-profile and filled by dark soil. It had been cut by a probable modern service trench in the west side of the pit and was visible on the east side also.