Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

A wide section of Roman walling and an area of Roman made ground was uncovered to the rear of the Metropole Hotel. Both the wall and the made ground contained Roman a wide variety of Roman material including numerous CLBR stamped tiles. (location accurate to the nearest 20m based on available information)

Monument Types

• WALL (WALL, Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Roman - 100 AD? to 299 AD?)
• TILE (Roman - 100 AD? to 299 AD?)
• WALL PLASTER (Roman - 100 AD? to 299 AD?)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

(taken from source) About 50 yards south-west of St. Mary's church, near the rear of the Metropole hotel, a huge chunk of Roman masonry, built of ragstone, flint and tufa with white mortar, was uncovered. The masonry lay on a thin layer of Roman made-ground overlying the clay, and along the south side of the site on this level were Roman sherds (mostly third or fourth century), tiles, etc., and much burnt clay. At the south-west corner of the former yard, a petrol-pit was cut into a tufa-faced wall with a 2 inch offset, but did not expose its depth or width. The mass of the wall was a jumble of Roman oddments, and there were bits of coloured wall-plaster, Roman mortar, red and white, grooved tiles and the like, including one tile with 32l (Classis Britannica), the CL reverse. The insertion of a petrol-pump near the New Street entrance showed that the Roman debris reached the clay here at a depth of 9 or 10 feet. Subsequently, when the cinema was built, its sloping floor was carried down to the back of the tufa wall, but this was not then adequately observed. From the spoil, however, were recovered upwards of a dozen tiles with the CLBR stamp. (1-2)

<1> E. G. J. Amos and R. E. M. Wheeler, 1929, Archaeological journal: The Saxon Shore fortress at Dover Vol. 86, Arch J 86 1929 48-49 plan (EGJ Amos and REM Wheeler) (Article in serial). SKE31895.

<2> Page, W. (ed), 1932, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III (Monograph). SKE7810.

Sources and further reading