Weymouth archaeological dig unearths bombed pub

The dig taking place behind the former council offices at North Quay is now three weeks in and there have already been some exciting discoveries.

Several buildings have been unearthed in the initial phase of the excavation, revealing an 18th century pub along with a Victorian building and two 17th century buildings.

The pub discovered was known as the Weymouth Arms and was originally built in the 1760s as a residential property, before becoming a pub in the early 1800s, according to the project’s chief archaeologist, Richard McConnell.

A colourised photo of the Weymouth Arms prior to its demolition (Image: Context One Heritage & Archaeology) (Image: Context One Heritage & Archaeology)

He said: “It was a focal point of the High Street. We have all the walls; the frontage is gone but we have the majority of it.

“There are flagstone floors and an intact fireplace, there are a number of elements we can still see of the pub – we’ve been very fortunate.”

A nearby bombing during the Second World War saw the pub close its doors in November 1940 after suffering blast damage to its back wall, which the archaeological team have found.

There have also been discoveries of pottery dating back to the foundation of the town in the 13th and 14th centuries, leaving Mr McConnell to suggest that there may be ‘much earlier properties’ on the site.

He added: “One of the things we have been finding is that the boundaries have perpetuated over time and walls have been used again and again that could possibly go back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

“There is a lot of the story to tell yet, to gather a real understanding of Weymouth and track it though time.”

Volunteers unearthing a wall at the North Quay dig site (Image: Context One Heritage & Archaeology)

The medieval pottery found on the site is believed to be fine glazed pottery that is likely to be tableware, but other, more modern 18th and 19th century pottery and glass has also been discovered.

Whilst still in the preliminary stages of the dig, the excavators are testing out a theory that the town stagnated during the 16th century as the Black Death and 100 Year War took its toll on the area.

They believe that the town flourished in its infancy but that the town's development was on hold until the 17th century.

Mr McConnell added: “This area has been part of Weymouth’s historical past for 800 years and we need significant archaeology to investigate and see what we find, to try and balance the books with the physical remains of Weymouth."