A short history
The Dorchester Association was established in 1982 to promote and encourage the study of Dorchester’s history and archaeology and to engage local people with the conservation of their heritage.
We hold a series of eight lectures on a Thursday between September and May at the Dorford Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester. These normally start at 7.30pm, although for the 2024-25 season the December to February meetings will commence at 2.30pm. Visitors are welcome to attend for a suggested donation of £5. The programme may be downloaded below.
Just as local people conserved Dorchester’s Roman and pre-Roman monuments by forcing changes to the route of the railways at the height of the Industrial Revolution, so the Association continues this tradition today by voicing its opinion on local heritage conservation issues.
Dorchester Association research programme 2024-25
West Walks, follows the line of the Roman Wall. The Borough Gardens on the left are the site of a series of three defensive ditches.
About 50 people attended the first meeting in 1982; today the Association has about 100 members and maintains its core activities. It organises talks, excursions, walks and field trips every year and members are encouraged to carry out research as well.
We also organise field trips to digs, houses, museums and other places of interest, often at short notice in the case of archaeology on development sites. Join to hear about these.
