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Monument details

HER Number:	TQ 57 SW 21
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	4 Palaeolithic handaxes found during construction of Dartford Technology College in 1952

Summary

4 Palaeolithic handaxes found during construction of Dartford Technology College in 1952

Grid Reference:	TQ 5367 7372
Map Sheet:	TQ57SW
Parish:	DARTFORD, DARTFORD, KENT

Monument Types

OCCUPATION SITE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Associated Finds

HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Full description

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During 1952 deep excavations were made on the Eastern fringe of the Dartford Heath terrace in connection with the building of a new Technical College (1, 2). Three complete handaxes were found, and a broken handaxe butt. One of the handaxes was pointed and in fresh condition, and was found slightly deeper down in the terrace deposits, which were recorded as overlying Chalk bedrock between c. 26m and 29m OD. The two other handaxes were of more ovate/sub-cordate form and were slightly abraded. The site was then included in the SRPP (3).

<1> Spurrell FCJ,, 1880, On implements and chips from the floor of a Palaeolithic workshop. (Article in serial). SKE32205.

<2> F1 ASP 25-NOV-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42289.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project, Report No.2: The South West and South of the Thames [Vol. I - text], NWK 3.22 (Monograph). SWX6569.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref.	Source description
<1>	Article in serial: Spurrell FCJ,. 1880. On implements and chips from the floor of a Palaeolithic workshop.. Archaeological Journal 37: 294-299.
<2>	OS Card Reference: F1 ASP 25-NOV-59.
<3>XY	Monograph: Wessex Archaeology. 1993. The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project, Report No.2: The South West and South of the Thames [Vol. I - text]. NWK 3.22. [Mapped feature: #76760 find, ]