EDO4290 - Colliton Street Youth Club, Dorchester; Archaeological Observations of Engineering Trial Pits

Steve Wallis of Dorset County Council Archaeology Service, inspected four engineering trial pits at Colliton Street Youth Centre, on 1st April 1999 (1). The site had previously been the subject of an archaeological evaluation by Wessex Archaeology (2). Each of the trial pits measured approximately 1.7m x 0.7m and was over 1.5m deep. Each pit was inspected from the adjacent ground surface only. Trial pits 1 and 2 revealed 0.25m -0.3m of modern surfacing overlying 1.5m -1.7m of soil, overlying chalk bedrock. The deep soil in pits 1 and 2 is presumed to be the post-medieval soil layer found in the earlier Wessex Archaeology evaluation trenches 1 and 5, which may be derived from the construction of the prison in the late 18th century (2). Trial Pit 4 revealed 0.3m of modern surfacing overlying chalk. 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. This is probably the remains of a pit of unknown date and function.