Monument record MDO18858 - Post-medieval water tank on the west side of Dorchester Prison

A large rectangular brick-lined tank was discovered on the western side of Dorchester Prison. A sump with lead piping, presumably for a pump was found in one corner. The fill contained late nineteenth century material. This tank may have been used to store water for the greenhouses that were formerly in this area of the prison.

A large brick-lined tank was discovered during a watching brief on the western perimeter of Dorchester Prison in 1978. It measured more tha 3.2 m by 2.45 m across and was 1 m deep. The base of the tank was lined with limestone slabs set in concrete. A small rectangular brick-lined sump about 3.5 m deep was found attached to the north-west corner of the tank and housed lead piping, perhaps for a pump. The tank was filled with topsoil with a thin layer of gravel at the base. It contained some late ninteeth century stoneware sherds in the fill. The remains of a greenhouse base was found nearby and there were a series of greenhouses all along the western side of the prison in the nineteenth century. The tank was probably part of the irrigation system for the greenhouses. (1)

<1> Draper, J, and Chaplin, C, 1982, Dorchester Excavations Volume 1: Excavations at Wadham House 1968; Dorchester Prison 1970, 1975 and 1978; and Glyde Path Road 1966, 95-102 (Monograph). SDO9690.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:33PM