Visit to Dig the Street, Weymouth. May 2026

Richard McConnell of Context One Archaeology showed the group round the ‘Dig the Street’ excavation in Weymouth. The dig sought to understand the developments on the site at St Nicholas Street which included mediaeval dwellings, a congregational chapel / meeting house, a bowling alley, a foundry and a theatre, all intertwined in the archaeology. 

He showed us the foundations of mediaeval buildings that would have been part of the town of Melcombe Regis.  Shown in the photo is a mediaeval well. 

Whilst exploring the mediaeval contexts, exotic stones were found, which were brought in as ballast from as far afield as Norway and Newfoundland.

Here Richard is showing the shape of the foundations of a mediaeval plot for a house and garden, called a burgage plot, it is long and narrow.  The width is one perch, approximately 5m.  The small dry stone wall structure in the centre of the plot dates from the late 18^th / early 19^th century and was probably a cold store, a back garden larder. The modern looking brick work forms part of the entrance to the theatre.  

Here the wall on the right going off at right angles to the left is part of the congregational chapel built in 1805 after some cottages previously on the site had been demolished.  The low wall parallel with the congregational chapel wall is part of an earlier sea wall.  The sea wall at the time the chapel was built would have been further west (to the right on the orientation of this picture).   The large plinth is related to the structure of the foundry. 

After the tour we were able to look at the many artefacts found on site as they were being cleaned by volunteers