Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavations in advance of the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2001 found evidence of early/middle Roman enclosures and a substantial road to the north-west of Northfleet Roman villa.

Location accurate to 1m based on available information.

Monument Types

• PIT (Roman - 50 AD to 150 AD)
• STAKE HOLE (Roman - 50 AD to 150 AD)

Full description

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Excavations in advance of the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2001 found evidence of early/middle Roman enclosures and a substantial road to the north-west of Northfleet Roman villa. (1-7)

The early / middle Roman activity west of the Northfleet Roman villa included a well, a wood-lined pit, post holes, ditches and pits.

A vertical-sided rectangular pit, 2.26 m long, 1.60 m wide and 0.70 m deep was cut form a height of 1.70m aOD. The pit was lined with timber planks, of which at least four survived. It is suggested the side planks were removed in antiquity. The base planks lay above moss or other green organic material which may have acted like a sealant. Six stake-holes were positioned inside the pit, around the edges. These measured 0.18m wide and 0.32m deep. These stakes would have supported the side planks.

Tree-ring dating of the base timbers indicated that the feature was dug after AD 77. Pottery from the upper fills of the feature spanned the period AD 50–150. Five pieces of burnt flint and ceramic building material was also recovered from the feature. Abundant cereal chaff, plus some grain sprouts, were collected from upper, charcoal-rich, fills.

Location accurate to 1m based on available information.

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2010, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Unpublished document). SKE31245.

<3> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1997, The Ebbsfleet Valley, Northfleet, Kent: ARC EFT 97: Archaeological Evaluation: Volume 1 Report (Unpublished document). SKE12220.

<4> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1997, The Ebbsfleet Valley, Northfleet Kent, ARC EFT 97: Archaeological Evalaution: Volume 2 Appendices (Unpublished document). SKE12221.

<5> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1997, The Ebbsfleet Valley, Northfleet, Kent: ARC EFT 97: Archaeological Evaluation: Volume 3 Figures and Plates (Unpublished document). SKE12222.

<6> Oxford Archaeology, 2003, Ebbsfleet Valley Detailed Mitigation Works, Northfleet, Kent: Interim Statement (Unpublished document). SKE12256.

<7> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 2001, Channel Tunnel Rail Link Ebbsfleet Sports Ground, Northfleet, ARC ESG00, Phase 2 Evaluation Archaeological Works Fieldwork Report Final (Unpublished document). SKE12227.

Sources and further reading

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