SDO13968 - Dorset County Hospital Site, Princes Street, Dorchester; Additional Desk-Based Study; Additional Works (March 1994)

A preliminary desk-based assessment was commissioned in 1993 by Terence O'Rourke plc on behalf of the West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust, on the archaeological content of te former County Hospital Site in Dorchester. The commission of the assessment followed recommendations in current government guidance on the preparation of planning applications as set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG 16; Dept of the Environment, November 1990); and is in line with the West Dorset District Council's Policy DC17 (Areas of Archaeological Sensitivity) as set out in its Consultative Local Plan. Subsequently in February 1994 supplementary work to provide more information on archaeological levels was commissioned, including a field evaluation and augur survey (see report reference WA 36698a) and further desk-based assessment (this report). Further information was retrieved on depths of deposits related to height above sea level for sites 2/4 and 5/6 in the southern part of the site; the upper parts of Roman layers and features were found to lie between 63.26m OD and 64.10m OD in these areas, with the base of one feature cut down to about 61m OD in the west part of the site. Development groundworks in excess of 0.2-0.3m in the extreme southern part of the site are likely to affect archaeological deposits. Around the current Maternity Unity (southern half of site) archaeological deposits lie at less than 1m in general, and groundworks in excess of c. 0.8m would disturb such deposits. To the north and south of Somerleigh Court archaeological deposits lie approximately 1m or slightly more below present ground surface; groundworks over 1m would affect these layers and structures. Over most of the remainder of the site Roman archaeological deposits are found between 0.7m and 1.2m below ground level; it is likely that groundworks over 0.7m in depth would therefore affect these remains. The exception to this seems to be the extreme east edge of the site where a 2m buildup of soil covers possible Roman remains. This buildup is probably fairly localised and should not be taken as a general guide to the depth of potential archaeological deposits.