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GROVE
EXCAVATIONS AUTUMN 1999, PORTLAND; DORSET
(Interim Report)
Background
During trial excavations in May 1999 in the front garden of the Old St. Peter's Vicarage in the Grove , Portland, some evidence was found of a very early substantial, well-built stone wall associated with a floor of lime plaster. Overlying this was evidence of one or two more recent buildings , also with floors of lime plaster on top of limestone rubble. These all visibly pre-dated the vicarage, as was also revealed in a gully excavated by the wall of the vicarage for new sewage pipes in 1998. It was not possible to obtain more details of any of the structures found in May as there were too many restrictions caused by domestic pipes and other features.
From September to November the Association of Portland Archaeology, under direction of Susann Palmer, carried out further excavations in another slightly larger area of the front garden. On this occasion it was realised that there were, in fact, three older buildings partly on top of each other in the grounds, pre-dating the vicarage. No certain documentary or map references to any of them exist.
Description of Finds
The whole site appears to have been extensively disturbed on several occasions in Victorian times and, unfortunately, no finds have been made which definitely date the earlier buildings. Because of the severe disturbance everywhere and into all layers, even the stratigraphical interpretations of the site are not fully reliable, with the exception of the most recent building phase, which will be referred to as Building 3.
Large quantities of coke and iron clinker suggests the carry on of smithy work in the grounds. It is possible that this work also relates to out-of-doors activities of the men who used Building 3 or else there is a possibility that the site was also used as an outdoor working area in earlier Victorian times by the convicts who had built the breakwater. The officer in charge of the convicts then lived at the house adjacent the vicarage, now known as Ivybanks. The most recent of the three buildings excavated, was a temporary building (Building 3), probably of tin and had a floor of compact lime plaster, which overlay a layer of stone rubble which was used to level of the unevenness of the site, created by the still older buildings. The archaeologists found a corner post of this building and a definite corner of its floor. The indications were that the rest of this building continued eastwards into the grounds of the adjacent St. Peter's church.
Diagram (not to scale or perspective) tentative interpretation of
buildings in the grounds of St Peter's vicarage in the Grove, Portland:
Building 4 - the present vicarage and Its ground level features, built
c1892;
Building 3 a temporary building, possibly of fin, built as a
workshop for the men who built the church c. I870. Only a corner and a
postholes for the building was found, the corner overlay the remains of the
foundation of building 2.
Building 2 - only the foundation of the wall has
been found, approx. 30cms wide. Very substantial.
Building I -. About 1.5m
high and .45m wide wall. Well-built shaped blocks of stone.
The presence of substantial green Cornish slate in the debris on its floor, is a reasonably clear indication that this building was a workshop associated with the building of the church, the only building in the neighbourhood with green slate (as opposed to the more common grey Welsh slate). The workmen appear to have made extensive use of the whole of the ground round the workshop and, in doing so, drastically disturbed all earlier remains on the site.
It was found that the corner of the workshop was actually laid down over part of the foundation wall of an earlier building, which will be referred to as Building 2. (Note: Reference to Building 1 or 2 does not necessarily have priority or chronological implications). This building must have been very substantial as the foundations are about two thirds of a metre (2ft) wide. The stones in this do not appear to have been carefully tooled but have only been roughly shaped to form the (approximately) straight line of the wall, which slightly varies in width along the length as excavated. This floor was also associated with a layer of compact lime plaster on top of an under-floor layer of limestone rubble. No archaeological indications were found of the date or the nature of this building.
The mystery at the Grove, however, goes even deeper. Below the building, mentioned above, the archaeologists have found a layer of rubble and then another floor of lime plaster, belonging to another stone wall (to be referred to as Building 1)
This wall now appears to be a continuation of the ruined standing wall revealed during the trial dig in May. More of this wall has now been excavated and it stands about 1.5m (5ft) high in total (as far as excavated) and is 45.7cms (18 in.) wide. About a metre from the top there is a ledge below which the wall is wider, this probably marks the foundations of the wall. Above the ledge the wall is built of substantial limestone blocks which are mostly squared and neatly tooled; below the ledge, there are visible two such large blocks but the rest of the stone here appear to be mostly rubble. All the stones are bonded with lime plaster. The workmanship is that of a good craftsman and it can be confirmed that it was indeed a substantial and elegant building.