Underneath Dorchester: new tunnel discovered and the man documenting them
Former Mayor David Taylor has spent years mapping out Dorchester's hidden past.
Last updated 8th Jul 2022
The man mapping out Dorchester's underground tunnels says he's found another.
Former Mayor of Dorchester David Taylor says he's found 54 tunnels in total so far, but is sure there are more.
The tunnels are a remnant of a Dorchester from before the Great Fire of 1613.
The new tunnel is thought to be the remnants of a kitchen, featuring three arched rooms and a long corridor.
David Taylor told Greatest Hits Radio:
"in 1613 there was a massive fire in Dorchester that wiped out all the tops of the wooden buildings of the houses in Dorchester High West Street, High East Street and South Street.
"The Dorchester you see today is built on top of all the rooms that were left and tunnels.
"Some of them are arched, some of them are square, some of them are complete rooms. Below a particular building in High West Street there's an Elizabethan banqueting suite still down there and it's got Portland stone pillars and proper Elizabethan windows."
David says he's been doing documenting for 17 years and he believes there are still plenty more tunnels undiscovered.
He added:
"I do it so people understand how important Dorchester is to the world. We colonised America in 1630 - Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts."