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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 76 NW 731
Type of record:Monument
Name:Rochester Roman town wall, robber trenches relating to it and Roman pits nearby

Summary

A Roman wall, likely to have been part of Rochester Roman town wall, was found during an evaluation on the Rochester Riverside development site. A robber trench was also found on the site which is thought to relate to another section of the wall which had been removed. Intercutting pits dating to the Roman period were found on both sides of the wall.


Grid Reference:TQ 7421 6883
Map Sheet:TQ76NW
Parish:ROCHESTER & CHATHAM, MEDWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • TOWN WALL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • ROBBER TRENCH (Post Roman - 410 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • HOD HILL BROOCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 1 AD to 100 AD)
  • POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 200 AD to 400 AD)
  • COIN (Roman - 270 AD to 285 AD)

Full description

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31 trenches were excavated across the Rochester Riverside development site in late 2004 and early 2005. In trenches in the north eastern part of the site a Roman wall, likely to have been part of Rochester Roman town wall, was found at a depth of 3.37mOD. It consisted of roughly hewn limestone and chalk blocks, was 2.5m wide and survived to at least 1m in height.

Evidence of the robbing of the wall was found in two nearby evaluation trenches to the surviving section of wall. These both consisted of trenches which had removed the wall and followed a northeast-southwest alignment.

Pits dating to the Roman period were found on both sides of the wall. A layer of peat was also found (1-2).

For an earlier discovery of a section of the Roman town wall in this area see TQ 76 NW 341.


<1> AOC Archaeology Group, 2005, Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Rochester Riverside (Unpublished document). SKE15934.

<2> AOC Archaeology Group, 2006, Rochester Riverside, Kent: Post Excavation Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE15936.

<3> AOC Archaeology, RRS 04, Interim Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Rochester Riverside (Unpublished document). SKE51833.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>Unpublished document: AOC Archaeology Group. 2005. Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Rochester Riverside.
<2>Unpublished document: AOC Archaeology Group. 2006. Rochester Riverside, Kent: Post Excavation Assessment.
<3>Unpublished document: AOC Archaeology. RRS 04. Interim Report on an Archaeological Evaluation at Rochester Riverside.