Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Romano-British brooch was found in 1976 on a building site at the junction of Kings Avenue and Lanthorn Road. It was discovered in a spoil heap removed from a well or deep pit feature. The brooch was made of bronze and iron. It was of 'head stud' type indicating a date in the late first until the end of the second century. No pottery or other objects were found.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD? (between) to 199 AD? (between))
• PIT (Roman - 67 AD? to 99 AD?)

Associated Finds

• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD? to 199 AD?)

Full description

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TR 396689. A Romano British brooch was found in 1976 on a K.E.C. building site at the junction of Kings Avenue and Lanthorn Road in spoil which had been excavated from what appears to have been a well or deep pit. The brooch is of head stud type, Collingwood's Group Q, which ranges in date from the late first until the end of the second century. The top of the bow and the studs at the foot and above the spring were decorated with enamel, but this had decayed or was missing, apart from a tiny fragment of red in one of the diamond shaped cells and of blue in an adjacent triangle. The spring and pin are of bronze but traces of corroded iron are visible at the ends of spring, which are presumably the remains of the wire head-loop common to this type of brooch. (1) The junction of Kings Avenue and Lanthorne Road lies at TR 39586898. (2) TR 396689. A Romano-British brooch was found here in spoil in 1976 during construction work. The spoil appeared to be excavated from a well or a deep pit. No pottery or other objects were found. The brooch is of the 'head stud' type (Collingwood's Group Q) which ranges in date from the late 1st century to the latter part of the 2nd century. (3)

A desk based assessment of the area by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology in 2013 repositioned the findspot from east of The Foreland School to Viking House on the school site. (4)

<1> Kent Archaeological Society, 1976, Archaeologia Cantiana vol. 92 (Article in serial). SKE55469.

<2> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments (Unspecified Type). SKE55470.

<3> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1987, Isle of Thanet Archaeological Unit Sites and Monuments Archive (Collection). SKE11846.

<4> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2013, Proposed Construction of Temporary Classroom Buildings, The Foreland County Primary School, Lanthorne Road, Broadstairs, Kent: Targeted Archaeological Desk Based Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE18215.

Sources and further reading