Monument record MDO18118 - Greyhound Yard, Roman Building 5452

The remains of a building with post-built walls along the west side of Street 5533, with a corridor or arcade to the rear was found during the 1984 excavations at Greyhound Yard. It lies immediately north of Building 5449 and the two buildings may form part of a larger complex along the street frontage.

Found during the excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology in 1984 prior to the redevelopment of the area of the former Greyhound Yard. (1) The results of the excavation were published together with the results of the adjacent Old Methodist Chapel excavations. (2) The numbers in square brackets below are context and feature numbers used in the published report (2).

Building 5452 lies on the eastern frontage of the Greyhound Yard insula, immediately north of Building 5449 and may have formed part of a larger complex with it. These buildings represent the primary activity in this area of the site. The evidence for Building 5452 comprises an east-west line of three postholes [5285, 5299, 5306] about 0.4 – 0.6m deep with flint nodule packing, which form part of the southern wall of the structure. The line of this wall was crossed by a slot [5289] running north-south, with a deeper post setting 0.5m deep at its southern end and traces of packing for further posts along its length. The line of the south wall kicks in slightly to the west of this slot, which may be the remains of an internal division, or perhaps the western wall of the building. Immediately south of the south wall was a shallow gully [5301]. The western limit of the building is probably formed by a 22m long north-south line of twelve postholes [4776, 819, 1948, 1950, 4442, 4444, 4424, 4426, 4428, 4430, 4432, 4434, 4436], with a slot [1666] at its northern end. These postholes varied in size and shape, but a number were about 0.4m deep with flint nodule packing. It is possible that these form an arcade or corridor along the western side of the building. Two postholes [1672, 1668] may form part of the northern wall. The east wall of this building was not exposed. An infant burial [SF1926] was found in a shallow hole [5293] beneath the line of the south wall, immediately to the west of the limit of Building 5449. This may indicate the location of a threshold and the position of a doorway in this area.

Within the building immediately overlying the pre-urban soils were the patchy remains of a chalk floor. A shallow hollow had been cut into this floor and a hearth base of brick fragments and clay [5278, 5279] constructed within it. A number of postholes were also found within the building but it is unclear how they relate to the structure.

The date of construction of this building is unclear but is probably pre-AD75.

There was some evidence for a later phase of this building. Within the building there were remnants of a sequence of deposits overlying the original chalk floor which comprised thin bands of material including ash and charcoal and some chalk rubble spreads, into which had been set a large pottery vessel [5223]. After the deposition of this sequence of deposits, the south wall had been repaired and replaced by two substantial postholes [5304] and [5252], which moved the line of the wall slightly southwards. A roughly square pit [5258] 0.8m deep with deeper post settings in the corners was found immediately north of this wall repair. This pit was filled with chalky loam.

Immediately to the south of Building 5452 was another similar building [5449] and it is likely that they both formed part of a large building complex along the street frontage.

In the open area to the west of Building 5452 was an open yard area, which contained a number of pits and postholes.

Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Dorchester, Durnovaria: Excavations in the town centre at Greyhound Yard, and the Old Methodist Chapel (1982-1984): Interim and introductory notes to the current excavations (Unpublished document). SDO9435.

Wessex Archaeology, 1984, Greyhound Yard, Dorchester excavation archive (Excavation archive). SDO9456.

<1> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1984, Excavations at the Greyhound Yard Car Park, Dorchester, 1984, 99-106 (Article in serial). SDO9437.

<2> Woodward, P J , Davies, S M , and Graham, A H, 1993, Excavations at the Old Methodist Chapel and Greyhound Yard, Dorchester, 1981-1984, 41-43 (Monograph). SDO9411.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:26PM