SDO9851 - Acland Road Sewer Main Watching Brief, October 1990

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by WDDC to conducted a watching brief during the excavation of a sewer pipe between the 2nd and 22nd October 1990. The sewer main was 0.75m wide and ran from South Walks Road, along the western edge of Acland Road and as far north as the site of Waitrose, Dorchester, as part of general restructuring of local utilities in preparation for the construction of the Wessex Court Shopping Centre. A 10m x 5m sump was also excavated at the junction of Acland road and South Walks Road, to a depth of 6m. The sewer trench was then graded from this depth to a minimum of 1.2m approximately 100m from the southern end. It was expected that the sump would cut through the southern rampart of the Roamn Town. However, the section only revealed 6m of naturally bedded chalk with a 'v' profiled ditch aligned E-W cut into it. No datable finds were recovered from the ditch fill and it was sealed by 0.3m of dark brown loam which was itself cut by a number of modern disturbances. Within the sewer trench, an E-W aligned 'v' profile ditch (4m across and 2m deep) was located 20m north of the sump with 2 sherds of RB pottery in its fill. This ditch may have formed part of the towns defences. 30m further north, a limestone was was uncovered which had survived to a height of 2m and was 0.5m wide, composed of ashlar blocks mortared together. This was probably the western boundary wall of the old Malthouse demolished in the late 1960's. Further walls relating to the malthouse yard were revealed 30m north of this point. Further north the trench became to shallow to reveal any surviving archaeological features.