EDO4187 - Old Foundry Site, Fordington High Street, Dorchester; evaluation 1997

AC Archaeology undertook an archaeological evaluation the site of the former Lott and Walne Foundry on Fordington High Street, Dorchester in June 1997. This comprised the machine excavation of three trenches outside the existing building (Trenches 1-3) and four hand-excavated trial pits within it (Trenches 3-7) (1) (2). This followed an earlier desk-based assessment of the site (3). The archaeological evaluation identified a number of deposits containing artefacts of medieval and Roman date, as well as a ditch and three possible stone surfaces. No definitive dating evidence was recovered from the ditch but one stone surface sealed a deposit containing 16th-19th century pottery and another sealed a deposit containing Romano-British and medieval sherds. A possible surface in Trial pit 7 sealed a deposit containing 2 small sherds of Romano-British pottery, suggesting the possibility of Romano-British structures close by.