EDO4036 - Poundbury Pipe-Line, Dorchester; excavation 1986

A Wessex Water pipeline was inserted along the northern edge and across the western part of the Poundbury Industrial Estate and continued along the eastern margins of Poundbury Camp, crossing Poundbury Road and up to the Wessex Water depot on Bridport Road. The construction of this water main provided the opportunity for archaeological observations and excavations along the line. Two trial trenches were excavated to a depth of 1.4m along the route of the pipeline to the north of Poundbury Road and south of the railway line (at SY68339095 and SY68389100), to determine the archaeological potential of what appeared to be undisturbed ground. However, the trenches revealed nothing other than rubbish deposits associated with the former army camp. In addition, a small trench was excavated by Bill Putnam along the line of the water pipe where it was thought it crossed the line of the Roman aqueduct (EDO4035). Observations were undertaken during the laying of the pipeline along the section from Wessex Road to the Grove Trading Estate. The route of the pipeline crossed the projected line of both a Roman road and the Roman aqueduct but no trace of either was revealed. It was only in the area of the Grove Industrial Estate, that archaeological features were discovered. Five Roman graves, one in a stone and lead coffin, were discovered in the car park of Integrated Photomatrix Ltd. The route of the pipeline further to the north and to the west was excavated archaeologically by Wessex Archaeology. This was divided into three sections (Trenches I-III) and a number of features were found. This included part of a probable Iron Age round house, a Durotrigian burial and nine late Roman burials. Sporadic observations continued north of the river Frome but no archaeological features were identified. Also column samples taken in the Frome floodplain for molluscan analysis proved to be negative.