Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

To the south west of a walled Roman ritual enclosure, evidence was found of an early Roman period road with metaling and a ditch running northwest - southeast. The stretch found was only small, but the alignment could suggest that it was leading southward to Watling Street.(location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)

Full description

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During archaeological evaluation undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust in 1997 at Swanscombe Community School a series of deposits were observed which may represent the site of a Roman road. The road appears to lead from a building also located during these excavations towards the known site of Watling Street, though this is not confirmed. In trench F, at the southern end of the site a gravel deposit was exposed associated with a ditch towards which the deposit cambers down towards. The fills of the ditch contained animal bone and roof tile with a Roman date. This gravel possible represents part of the Roman road crossing the site. In trench K the same gravel deposit was also observed, this time within a series of three ditches which have been interpreted as a Road, which was again associated with a ditch running parallel to it. This parallel ditch was filled with Roman pottery, tile and animal bones. The same road was also observed in trench U to the north of trenches K and F, though not as clearly and was not associated with any ditch or Roman finds. (1)
It appears to be on the same alignment as the Roman road found at the Springhead Nursery site (TQ 67 SW 6) (2- 3). Road could be 15m wide (See 4).

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1997, Swanscombe Thameside Community School: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE6584.

<2> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1999, Swanscombe Community School, Southfleet Road, Swanscombe: An archaeological post excavation assessment and updated project design (Unpublished document). SWX6915.

<3> Smith, V., 1997, The Roman road and Springhead Nurseries (Unpublished document). SWX6993.

<4> Museum of London Archaeology Service, A Romano-British site at Swanscombe, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE30740.

Sources and further reading

Related records