Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A possible Roman shop was discovered beneath the A2 at Springhead in 1957 and again in 1964 during excavations carried out by the Gravesend Historical Society. It formed part of the large roadside settlement and religious complex at Springhead (Vagniacae). The greater part of the building is located under the railway embankment, but despite this, sufficient evidence of the building was recovered to suggests the normal layout of a Romano-British shop. It has a large living/store room behind an open shop front facing the street. Two phases of construction were observed. The first, which dates to around the end of the second century A.D., comprised a timber building which was replaced in the second phased by a masonry structure sometime in the early third century. This re construction appears to have occurred after a fire as evidence of burning, including a large carbonised beam, was discovered in the floor. The second phase comprised well faced flint walls with gravel and chalk floors. (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information)

Monument Types

• SHOP? (Roman - 175 AD? to 299 AD?)
• FLOOR (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)
• WALL (Roman - 200 AD? to 299 AD?)

Associated Finds

• FIGURINE (Roman - 43 AD? to 99 AD?)

Full description

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A possible Roman shop was discovered beneath the A2 at Springhead in 1957 and again in 1964 during excavations carried out by the Gravesend Historical Society. It formed part of the large roadside settlement and religious complex at Springhead (Vagniacae). The greater part of the building is located under the railway embankment, but despite this, sufficient evidence of the building was recovered to suggests the normal layout of a Romano-British shop. It has a large living/store room behind an open shop front facing the street. Two phases of construction were observed. The first, which dates to around the end of the second century A.D., comprised a timber building which was replaced in the second phased by a masonry structure sometime in the early third century. This re construction appears to have occurred after a fire as evidence of burning, including a large carbonised beam, was discovered in the floor. The second phase comprised well faced flint walls with gravel and chalk floors. (1-2)

<1> 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.

<2> WS Penn, 1965, Archaeologia Cantiana, Springhead - map of Discoveries (Article in serial). SKE12613.

Sources and further reading

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