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Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 67 SW 1766 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Possible oven located south of Watling Street during excavations at Springhead |
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Summary
A Roman oven was located in an area just to the south of the modern line of the A2 and approximately 100m to the south east of the temple complex along Watling Street at Springhead. Unfortunately its purpose could not be ascertained but a considerable amount of wood was burnt in it which may be determined from the surviving layer of potash. (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information)
| Grid Reference: | TQ 6189 7244 |
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| Map Sheet: | TQ67SW |
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| Parish: | SOUTHFLEET, DARTFORD, KENT |
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Monument Types
- OVEN? (Roman - 43 AD? to 150 AD?)
- PATH (Roman - 43 AD? to 150 AD?)
- BURIAL (Roman - 200 AD to 299 AD)
| Protected Status: | Scheduled Monument 158 |
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Full description
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A Roman oven was located in an area just to the south of the modern line of the A2 and approximately 100m to the south east of the temple complex along Watling Street at Springhead. Unfortunately its purpose could not be ascertained. It is certainly not like a typical bread oven, there were no pottery or tile wasters and no signs of iron or bronze working. One thing is certain, a considerable amount of wood was burnt in it which may be determined from the surviving layer of potash. It may have been connected with a kiln located c.3m to the south east. The oven was cut out of an existing bank but lined with a thin layer of chalk. Pottery was scarce indicated a late first- to early-second century date for the feature. There was a third-century intrusive cremation burial in a pot in the filling. A chalk road is situated to the west of the feature and may be associated with it, it led from the line of Watling Street in a south westerly direction towards the oven. (1-2)
<1> WS Penn, 1965, Archaeologia Cantiana, Springhead - map of Discoveries (Article in serial). SKE12613.
<2> W. S. Penn, 1968, Archaeologia Cantiana - The Romano British Settlement at Springhead, Miscellaneous Excavations (Article in serial). SKE53588.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Article in serial: WS Penn. 1965. Archaeologia Cantiana, Springhead - map of Discoveries. Vol 80, pp 107-117. |
| <2>XY | Article in serial: W. S. Penn. 1968. Archaeologia Cantiana - The Romano British Settlement at Springhead, Miscellaneous Excavations. Vol 83 pp163-192. [Mapped feature: #109139 oven, ] |
Related records
| TQ 67 SW 6 | Part of: Vagniacae (Springhead), Iron Age and Roman religious centre (Monument) |
