Archaeologists digging up bowling alley make 'significant' 13th century discoveries before it is turned into a car park

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:09, 9 May 2026 | Updated: 21:09, 9 May 2026 Archaeologists digging at the site of a former bowling alley have unearthed 'significant' finds linked to the medieval past of a popular seaside town.  Historians have been swooping on the area in Weymouth, Dorset, which is known to contain the remains of three 13th Century houses and plots.  Medieval walls, early cold stores, as well as coins, tiles, pottery and personal effects have exposed the 'hidden history' of the town centuries after the items were buried below the surface. The dig is expected to last six weeks before the site of the former MFA Bowl in Melcombe Regis is turned into a temporary car park while future development plans are considered by Dorset Council. On Saturday, the site was opened up to the public for free. Dorset councillor Richard Biggs told BBC News: 'This dig is about much more than archaeology, it's about people feeling connected to the place they live.' Archaeologists digging at the site of a former bowling alley have unearthed 'significant' finds linked to the medieval past of Weymouth, Dorset Medieval walls, early cold stores, as well as coins, tiles, pottery and personal effects have exposed the 'hidden history' of the town A medieval well found at the site is among the many items archaeologists have discovered The site of the former MFA Bowl in Melcombe Regis is due to be turned into a car park Senior archaeologist Steve Wallis said the dig has uncovered more about how people had lived more than 700 years ago in Weymouth. 'Already, there have been significant discoveries and we can expect more to come,' he said, adding that a team from the University of Southampton would be joining the researchers on site in late May to take soil samples. 'These samples will find out what diseases locals of that time had, and include, hopefully, more details about the Black Death.'  Historic records from Melcombe Regis suggest the deadly disease arrived in the area in 1348 and wiped out around half of the town's population.  The artefacts will be taken away, cleaned and analysed before going on display to the public at Dorset Museum.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.