EDO3863 - New Gas Main, High East Street, Dorchester; watching brief 2005

Archaeological recording was carried out by Terrain Archaeology in March 2005 on a short length of a new gas main in High East Street, Dorchester. An 11m length adjacent to the Corn Exchange close to the junction with High West Street and Cornhill in the centre of the Roman town was observed, where the pipe trench was much wider. Most of the area was undisturbed and the remains of a pre-Roman soil still survived along most of the observed length of the trench. A small number of features of possible Roman or earlier date were recorded, including a pit. One post-medieval feature was also recorded. The small number of features and the survival of the pre-Roman soil indicate that this area did not see much activity or disturbance during the Roman period and suggests that it may lie within the forum of the Roman town of Durnovaria.