Monument record MDO18169 - New Gas Main, High East Street: Roman building 115/117

The slight remains of the flint footings of a possible Roman building, perhaps part of a corridor, were found during a watching brief on a new gas main in High East Street, Dorchester in 2005 by Terrain Archaeology. Two flint nodule footings were observed in section but the plan of this structure was not observed.

Found during the watching brief on the new gas main in High East Street, Dorchester undertaken by Terrain Archaeology in 2005. The truncated remains of two probable wall footings were found in the southern side of the gas pipe trench. The plan of these footings was not observed, but they did not continue into the northern side of the trench, suggesting a return somewhere within the trench. There was some slight evidence, largely removed by later activity' of a similar wall footing running across the trench roughly E-W, which may be the north wall of this building. The footings were relatively shalllow, just cut into the top of the natural chalk, and comprised square-cut trenches about one metre wide filled with tightly-packed flint nodules in reddish-brown clay. These footings were only about 1.3m apart, so may have defined a corridor of a Roman building. No floor surfaces had survived and no dating evidence was recovered.

Record last edited

Jun 12 2006 5:26AM