Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Medieval square tower, seen on a map of 1789, was also revealed. The lowest courses supported a structure 6.1m wide from east to west and built of chalk blocks. These were faced along the east and west edges with coursed ashlar blocks of Kentish ragstone.

Monument Types

• TOWER (Medieval - 1301 AD? to 1400 AD?)

Full description

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A drain trench was cut through the City wall at St. Radigund's, opposite Knott's Lane, Canterbury in late 1971 and early 1972 and recorded photographically by Frank Jenkins.

The city wall was observed in three places; just west of Abbot's Bridge waterlogged conditions prevented full excavation and only the Medieval chalk wall could be examined. At a point 11.58m east of the bridge only the lowest flint courses of the Roman wall survived. A Medieval square tower, seen on a map of 1789, was also revealed. The lowest courses supported a structure 6.1m wide from east to west and built of chalk blocks. These were faced along the east and west edges with coursed ashlar blocks of Kentish ragstone. The outer edge of the structure was not exposed. Between 13 and 15 St Radigunds Street the city wall was cut at right angles. Here the Roman wall stood to a height of c. 1.3m and was built of flint and yellow-brown mortar. The maximum width was 2.74m and the rampart behind the wall had been destroyed by a modern drain trench.

Cross, R., Canterbury: St Radigund's Street (Machine readable data file). SKE30598.

Rady, J., DB1 (Digital archive). SKE29774.

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

Sources and further reading