Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The edge of a Medieval ditch within the walls of Dover Castle was found during a watching brief undertaken in 2009 associated with the construction of a new admissions building. It was backfilled in the 19th century when the nearby New Officers' Barracks were constructed (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information).

Monument Types

• DITCH (Medieval - 1200 AD to 1300 AD)

Full description

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During a watching brief undertaken at Dover Castle associated with the construction of a new visitors admissions building at the southern end of the site in 2009 Evidence of the southern lip of a 13th century ditch associated with the existing earthwork was recorded. The top of the cut of this ditch was located at a minimum of 0.20m below the current ground surface. The fills of the ditch recorded during this watching brief were attributable to deliberate 19th century infilling. The topography of the proposed development site and the area around it was dramatically altered by the creation of new terraces in association with the construction of the Officers’ New Barracks in 1856-58. (1)

Petrie also notes an a paper on the earthworks of Kent that 'at Dover, the camp, N.W. of the Castle, has been destroyed for a modern fort'. (2)

Summarised from sources

<1> Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2009, An Archaeological Watching Brief at the New Visitor Admissions Building, Dover Castle, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16259.

<2> W. M. Flinders Petrie, 1880, Archaeologia Cantiana: Notes on Kentish Earthworks. Vol. 13 (Article in serial). SKE31797.

Sources and further reading

Related records