Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A large enclosure cropmark complex has been identified in fields on the parish boundary between Acol and Birchington. This site was recorded from aerial photographs taken by the Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England as part of a project to identify and classify cropmarks across Kent. The site consists of at least two rectilinear enclosures, within a larger enclosure as well as evidence of ditching and internal features.

Monument Types

• ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
• PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)

Full description

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Site identified during transcription of features recorded on air photographs. A large enclosure cropmark complex has been identified in fields on the parish boundary between Acol and Birchington. This site was recorded from aerial photographs taken by the Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England as part of a project to identify and classify cropmarks across Kent. The site consists of at least two rectilinear enclosures, within a larger enclosure as well as evidence of ditching and internal features.(1)

The cropmark remains of a complex of irregular ditched enclosures and pits, (possibly an Iron Age settlement and/or fields for stock management) visible on aerial photographs : CUCAP ALA43 04-JUN-1965, NMR 3115/140 02-JUL-1986, NMR 3115/141 02-JUL-1986, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM APR-2017, NMR 962/73 09-JUL-1976, US/7PH/GB/LOC286 V 5012 19-APR-1944. This site is associated with a long sinuous ditched boundary TR36NW 165 which forms the eastern and southern sides of this complex. The ditch forms a funnel entrance into the south-western corner of the complex and a second entrance in th SE corner which has the cropmark traces of a worn/compacted trackway extending through the entrance in southerly direction.

There are two concentrations of pits within the ditched enclosures, the western group centred at TR 3069 6777 have been recorded from the RCHME aerial survey in record TR 36 NW 217 as 'Early medieval burial cropmarks'. However, most are curvilinear pits rather than elongated grave pits, so may be associated with the enclosures rather than a later cemetery.

The sinuous ditched boundary continues over 800m to the west where it encloses further (multi-phase) complex of ditched enclosures and a Bronze Age barrow cemetery and smaller barrows thought to be Early medieval in date (TR36NW 46). (

<1> David McLeod/1986-7/RCHME Air Photo Unit Survey of Kent (OS Card Reference). SKE39678.

<2> Historic England Archive, 1949-1976, Historic England Archive CUCAP oblique aerial photographs, CUCAP ALA43 04-JUN-1965 (Archive). SKE57107.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 3115/140 02-JUL-1986 (Archive). SKE57106.

<4> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 3115/141 02-JUL-1986 (Archive). SKE57106.

<5> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 962/73 09-JUL-1976 (Archive). SKE57106.

<6> Google.Com, 1960-2023, Earth.Google.Com orthophotography, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM APR-2017 (Archive). SKE57111.

<7> Historic England Archive, 1944, Historic England Archive USAF vertical aerial photographs, US/7PH/GB/LOC286 V 5012 19-APR-1944 (Archive). SKE57114.

Sources and further reading