EDO4546 - 37 South Street, Dorchester; observations and recording 1985

Following on from an earlier trial excavation, Wessex Archaeology conducted a watching brief during groundworks for the construction of a new building to the rear of 37 South Street, Dorchester in 1985. The archaeology was removed over half of the site but baulks left standing allowed the recording of sections. The stratigraphy was similar to that recorded in the earlier trial trenches. The upper 1.75-1.95m comprised black post-roman soil which lay above 0.6-0.7m of burnt ashy bands above a green-grey layer, which lay above natural clay-with-flints. Along the Trinty Street frontage at the western end of the site the remains of a N-S aligned Roman road were observed. This comprised a chalk rubbled embankement topped with metalling, alongside which was a square sectioned trench. This may represnt a robbed out retaining wall trench for the road embankment. This road runs at an angle to Trinity Street and has been previously observed at three other locations (RCHM, 1970, 551).