Structural building items, of functional design (ornamental stuff
goes in Architectural Items, and rough
building material in Unclassified).
© Copyright John Palmer.
This is work in progress, last updated 2008-08-26.
Please use this link
to send me comments and suggestions.
Drains and tanks (for burial cists, see
the Uninscribed monuments section)-
- name Wadham House (Dorchester) conduit slabs
- site Dorchester, Wadham House, 1968
- grid SY 690 907
- publ Draper and Chaplin 1982
p.5
- desc In the bottom of the conduit were found parts of two slabs of
Purbeck limestone, the larger measuring 52cm by 35cm by 6cm.
These are considered to be collapsed parts of the capping of the conduit
(p.7).
The conduit appears to be a continuation of that sectioned
by Drew in 1938.
- subst PL
- date Coin of Vespasian found in mortar of conduit lining, by
Drew 1938 p.64-65,
suggests construction in late 1st century
-
- name Rockbourne PL Drain
- site Rockbourne villa, Hants
- grid SU 120 170
- publ
Morley Hewitt AT 1965
- desc N side of Room I (apodyterium probably): drain formed
of Purbeck stone; a later repair of Purbeck stone tiling on the S
side is in situ
- subst PL
- date
Room I is in Lower Bath Complex, prob. of late C2 construction
- comment probably from
Tisbury outcrop
Hypocausts (under-floor heating) and Driers-
- name Tarrant Hinton
- site Tarrant Hinton
- grid ST 927 118
- source Graham A 2006 p.58
- desc Room 3 ... 20ft square internally ... hypocaust of cruciform channelled
type, four flues to the corners ... meeting at the centre, with a fifth ...
leading ... to the site of the stokehole. The flues ... cut below the
surface of a platform levelled into the natural chalk ... maintained an
average depth ... varied greatly in width ... not accurately aligned ...
half inch screed of mortar along the sides and bottom, then roofed with
thick slabs of Purbeck stone which were supported at the centre intersection
by ... column of mortared Purbeck stone 1.5ft diam. 1.75ft high.
- subst PL
- comment see also
roofing,
mortars,
tesserae,
architectural stone,
inscription,
from this site
-
- name Woodcuts hearths
- site Woodcuts
- grid ST 963 181
- publ Pitt-Rivers A 1887,
Excavations on Cranborne Chase vol.1,
p.10
- desc ``In the NW quarter, several narrow trenches, formed up
at the ends with flagstones of Purbeck shale, were discovered, and
which, from the traces of ashes and fire about them, appeared to be
hearths''
- subst PL
- comment `Purbeck shale' is used here and
elsewhere
by Pitt-Rivers to mean
a limestone, probably thin-bedded; this is clear from
his description of PL rooftiles.
He uses the words `Kimmeridge shale'
to describe articles that are clearly of the latter material
-
- name Woodcuts supposed hypocaust
- site Woodcuts
- grid ST 963 181
- publ Pitt-Rivers A 1887,
Excavations on Cranborne Chase vol.1,
p.29 and pl.VI no.1
- desc ``1. Plan and section of
supposed hypocaust.
The trench was lined throughout with slabs of
Purbeck shale,
the positions of which showed that they must originally have formed a flue
with flags on each side, and others forming capstones over them, but the
latter had fallen down in places. On the centre of the SW side was neck
similarly lined with slabs, showing marks of great heat, and this neck ran
into an oval depression cut in the chalk and without revetment, which had
in it also the traces of fire. This hypocaust has been roofed over to
preserve it.''
- subst PL
- comment The thing described is what later archaeologists have
called a `corn-drier'.
Ovens-
- name Redcliff Burr pot-drying ovens
- site Redcliff, Purbeck, 1975-83
- grid SY 934 866 approx
- source Lyne M 2002
- desc On a Late IA and RB pottery production site.
Two pot-drying ovens constructed from slabs of Purbeck burr-stone.
Oven 1 ... consisted of a circular setting of five vertical slabs, 0.50m
diameter, with two cover stones. This stone oven was set in a hollow 0.45m
deep and had an opening for insertion of fuel in its south side. The pattern
of burning on the surfaces ... indicates that the oven had been rebuilt at
least once. Oven 2 ... 1.50m south of oven 1 ... similar type and size ...
constructed of only three, more widely spaced, vertical slabs and had its
opening on the west.
- loc If preserved, DCM, probably acc.no. 1994.26
- subst Burr (PL)
- date Site phase 3, 200-220 AD
- cont P Woodward, DCM
-
-
-
- name Broadmayne Oven
- site Broadmayne, c.1967
- grid SY 727 867
- source Young D 1973 p.46-47 fig.8
- desc `Keyhole' oven ...
mainly of limestone from the Purbeck and Portland beds
- subst PL
- date from assoc. samian pottery: late C2 or C3
- comment Young compares the ovens at Colliton Park
(1,
5)
Padstones (stone bases for timber uprights)-
- name Windmill Knap Padstones
- site Windmill Knap, Langton Matravers, 1969-70
- grid SZ 0092 8005 approx.
- source Mark Helfer, pers. comm. 2004-06-28
- publ Brown PA 1969
- desc Four blocks of limestone with rectangular sockets for the feet
of posts. One is described by Brown; the remainder are from the same
site, either found during Brown's excavations or else on the site during
the following winter. Photos (by JP):
A,
B,
C,
B and C,
D (at Museum), front view,
D, front, ruler is 16cm overall,
D, top.
- loc 3 at Knitson Old Farmhouse, one at Langton Matravers Museum (currently
outside the front door to the left)
- subst probably PL
- date Roman (from RB occupation site)
- cont Mark Helfer
-
- name Ower Padstones
- site Ower
- grid SY 99 85
- source
Woodward PJ 1993 p.146
- publ
Sunter and Woodward 1987 p.104-5
- desc Building materials, architectural fragments and misc. stone
objects, by P Cox and P Woodward: p.104-5: post-padstones. Fig. 33.
15 heavy blocks had been used as socketed supports for structural uprights.
... Post-padstones of limestone: 2 were used set below the 2 main door-jambs
in the first phase of the building, and later replaced by sandstone socketed
stones. Both about 52 by 40 by 10cm; only one has a circular hole (10cm diam)
cut through it perhaps for drainage but might have been from a previous use.
- loc DCM ?
- subst limestone
- comment Report continues: see also
roofing tiles
at Ower site
-
-
- name Bucknowle thresholds
- site Bucknowle villa, Corfe Castle
- grid SY 9545 8154
- publ see
Bucknowle villa
- desc see
Bucknowle villa.
At least four thresholds for doors with sockets for doorposts;
also two rows of postpads in aisled building
- loc One threshold at Wareham public library, in the garden at back,
2003
- subst PL
-
-
-
Walling-
- name Dorchester town wall
- site Dorchester, Albert Street, 1951
- grid SY 69 90
- publ Farrar RAH 1955
- desc Part of the Roman town wall, still standing. Mrs J E Morey,
Petrological Dept of Geological Survey and Museum, says: "specimen 1, grey
compact crystalline limestone containing small shell fragments and ostracod
remains. Specimen 2, rock is an orange-stained crystalline limestone
composed of numerous shell frags in a calcite matrix. I am told
(JP's emphasis) that both these specimens are from the Purbeck Beds and
they appear similar to two specimens in [our] collections that come from
Swanage." 2 other specimens were sent to Mrs Morey and one was closer
to a specimen from Portesham; Dr Arkell [notes that Upwey is a lot
closer than Purbeck to the wall site.]
- subst Morey: PL
-
-
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