MORE links to Dorchester’s rich and varied past have been discovered underneath the county town.
In recent weeks town councillor David Taylor has been on a mission to uncover the secrets that lie beneath our feet.
His investigations have led to the unearthing of a network of tunnels below Dorchester, including a passageway linked to the renowned Judge Jeffreys.
Cllr Taylor’s latest finds include a Roman mosaic beneath a disused shop and the remains of an Elizabethan house underneath a town centre bank.
He said he was told by someone of the mosaic below the floor of the old Dorchester Association for the Disabled office in High West Street, wh-ich has remained unoccupied for over a year. After being granted access to the building, Cllr Taylor was able to uncover some of the mosaic beneath the floor in a cupboard under the stairs.
He said: “I did check around to see whether the claims were false but it does exist. It’s one of those mosaics that is incredibly hard to access because the house is built upon it but the floor has been suspended above it so it is not damaged.”
Also in High West Street, Cllr Taylor was given access to the old Elizabethan house beneath TSB, which has door frames and windows that are now underground.
He said it is believed that 400 years ago, following the Great Fire of Dorchester that destroyed many homes, several buildings were simply erected on top of the ruined properties and this could have been the case with the building at the TSB site.
Cllr Taylor said Cornish tin miners also came to the town after the fire to create a network of tunnels to act as an escape route if there was ever a similar catastrophe and many of these remain.
He said the latest discoveries show how much there is uncovered in Dorchester and the links that exist in the history and heritage quarter around High West Street.
Cllr Taylor said: “People can come to Dorchester and not realise they are walking upon ancient history.
“This stuff is not just 50 odd years old, it’s hundreds of years of history.”
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