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

During a watching brief on water main works in 2007/8 a large broad ditch was found. The available evidence seems to suggest that it pre-dates the construction of Citadel road in 1850 and the feature may therefore relate to an early fieldwork constructed prior to the formalisation of the defences here. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Post Medieval - 1750 AD? to 1850 AD?)

Full description

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

During a watching brief on water main works in 2007/8 A large archaeological feature was cut through by the pipe-trench, starting at a point about 245 etres south-west of the Western Close junction. Feature 30 consisted of a broad hollow aligned north-west by south-east. It was about 23 metres wide across the top and clearly continued southwards under the main roadway (Fig. 9; Fig. 11, BS 19). As seen in the narrow trench, it was 1.10 m. deep with sloping sides and a flat base. Allowing for the terracing of the road into the natural slope here, perhaps as much a metre had been previously removed from the top of the feature, so that it originally may have been rather closer to 2 metres in depth. The feature was filled with mixed rammed chalk and light brown clay, containing many chalk lumps, moderate amounts of small flint pebbles and occasional pockets of red and yellow brick fragments of broadly eighteenth-nineteenth century type (Context 29). This appears to be deliberate backfilling and probably dates to the nineteenth century. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2008, Dover Western Heights, Water Upgrade, 2007-8, Watching-brief Report (Unpublished document). SKE16844.

Sources and further reading