Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A wall is known to have enclosed the temple complex located at Springhead, several sections of the wall have been revealed during excavations of the area and a robber trench, also uncovered during the same excavations, also relates to the former site of this wall. (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information)

Monument Types

• ROBBER TRENCH (Roman - 100 AD? to 350 AD?)
• WALL (Roman - 100 AD? to 350 AD?)

Full description

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A wall is known to have enclosed the temple complex located at Springhead, several sections of the wall have been revealed during excavations of the area and a robber trench, also uncovered during the same excavations, also relates to the former site of this wall. The majority of the evidence was obtained on the eastern side of the temple complex, along the edge of a branch road leading south from Watling Street. Here an examination of the road revealed a rectilinear hole. This is the robber trench filled with mortar rubble from the wall it once contained. It follows the western edge of the road from its junction with Watling Street to where it disappears underneath the railway embankment. A possible gatehouse has been excavated here, with the temple complex wall forming the eastern wall of the gatehouse. The trench also follows the southern edge of Watling street. Here it forms the northern wall of a lean to building located at the northern edge of the temple complex. The wall appears to have been constructed using flints, and, although there was abundant mortar, no traces of plaster were present. It had a probable width of c. 60cm. (1-4)

<1> WS Penn, 1965, Archaeologia Cantiana, Springhead - map of Discoveries (Article in serial). SKE12613.

<2> W. S. Penn, 1964, Archaeologia Cantiana - The Romano British Settlement at Springhead, The temple ditch site (Article in serial). SKE53586.

<3> W. S. Penn, 1958, Archaeologia Cantiana - The Romano British Settlement at Springhead, Excavataion of the Watling Street Shop and Pedestal, Site B (Article in serial). SKE53583.

<4> W. S. Penn, 1967, Archaeologia Cantiana - The Romano British Settlement at Springhead, Temple 6 and the gateway (Article in serial). SKE53587.

Sources and further reading

Related records