Two graves with human remains were found on 2 November during the Fairfield Road improvements. Their age is not yet known; earlier digs there found Roman burials.

Two graves containing human remains were uncovered during roadworks on Fairfield Road in Dorchester on Monday 2 November. Dorset Council announced the find on 9 November.

Contractors found them while digging up the pedestrianised section of the road, between the railway stations, the Fairfield Road car park and Brewery Square. An archaeologist was already on site, the council said, because earlier investigations had identified burials in this area.

What happens to the remains

The council says:

  • both graves and the visible remains have been recorded by the archaeologist
  • the exposed remains have been covered and protected
  • work is continuing around them, on archaeological advice, without disturbing them further
  • the findings will be added to the Dorset Historic Environment Record

The age of the burials has not been confirmed. Previous archaeological work on Fairfield Road found Roman burials and other evidence of the town’s past, the council said.

Steve Wallis, the council’s senior archaeologist, said the discovery “was not unexpected because previous archaeological work had identified burials in this part of Fairfield Road”.

“We are reviewing the evidence to understand more about the burials, including their likely date,” he said.

Cllr Jack Jeanes, the council’s cabinet member for place services, said the remains “have been treated carefully and respectfully”.

What the work is for

The graves turned up in the final phase of the Fairfield Road improvements. The eastern end of the road was pedestrianised in 2024. This phase adds:

  • trees, planting beds and seating
  • cycle parking
  • drainage features to deal with surface water that has long affected the car park

Dorset Council is working with Dorchester Town Council and Dorchester Market on the scheme. The town council, the market and Great Western Railway are helping to pay for it.

What it means for you

The pedestrianised section has been closed 24 hours a day since Monday 28 September. The council said in its September announcement that the closure would last about nine weeks, which would take it to around the end of November. It has not given a new date since the find.

Walking routes through the car park and the market area stay open, and Dorchester Market runs as normal. No machinery moves on Wednesdays, market day.

Other closures around the county are on our Dorset roadworks page.