Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A trench was located 4.9m from the city wall and cut across the tail of the Roman bank. The lowest levels seen in the trench were Belgic, a loam into which was cut a gully. Overlying these were sandy, Roman layers, into which were cut two post holes. In the late third century the defences were built and the bank was placed over these earlier layers.

Monument Types

• RAMPART (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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Between 1947 and 1950 Frank Jenkins undertook excavations in the garden and cellar of the bomb damaged No. 1 Watling Street. One particular trench, excavated in 1948, was located 4.9m from the city wall and cut across the tail of the Roman bank.
The lowest levels seen in the trench were Belgic, a loam into which was cut a gully. Overlying these were sandy, Roman layers, into which were cut two post holes and also overlain by further Roman layers.
In the late third century the defences were built and the bank was placed over these earlier layers. The tail of the bank lay 4.3m within the excavated area implying a total width for the bank of c. 7.3m. Further material overlay the bank for which dating evidence was scarce. It is possible that these too constituted bank material indicating a width of c.12m and considerably higher than at other points in Canterbury. They may also have been added in the 4th century to increase the height of the bank, perhaps during the period when the external towers were built. The upper levels of the bank were very disturbed by Medieval pits. The building of outbuildings for No. 1 Watling Street in the 19th century had also destroyed parts of the bank and surrounding deposits.

Frere, SS, Stow, S, and Bennett, P, 1982, Excavations on the Roman and Medieval Defences of Canterbury. (Monograph). SKE28530.

Sources and further reading