Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Wash off, consisting of a grey loam, from the Roman bank was found in trench V. It overlay the natural subsoil into which was dug a large pit dug. The pit was dated, by pottery finds, to the fourth century or later. It was thought that the tail of the bank had been identified in trench II when a layer of dirty grey-brown loam overlain by yellow clay was found.

Monument Types

• PIT (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Medieval - 500 AD to 1200 AD)
• STRUCTURE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Medieval - 500 AD to 1200 AD)

Full description

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In summer 1949 The Canterbury Excavation Committee excavated on the site of canterbury Bus Station, St George's Lane. The site was coded C XV X and consisted of six small trenches numbered I-VI.

Wash off, consisting of a grey loam, from the Roman bank was found in trench V. It overlay the natural subsoil into which was dug a large pit dug. The pit was dated, by pottery finds, to the fourth century or later. It was thought that the tail of the bank had been identified in trench II when a layer of dirty grey-brown loam overlain by yellow clay was found. However the position of the trench in relation to the wall meant that if it were the bank it would be considerably wider than at any other known point. It is thus probably incorrect to assume that the bank was found and the material may in fact also be bank wash. Cut into the loam was a very large pit filled with rubble and containing 19 mid 4th century coins. Later levels of medieval date included loams and pits as well as some structural evidence, however this is not mentioned in the published report. The written account states an intention to publish more fully the results of this site, particularly the post-Roman later deposits however this has not been accomplished to date as far as I am aware.

In 2001-2 (?) The Canterbury Archaeological Trust excavated a site behind the City Wall and south of St George's Lane. This work was undertaken during the redevelopment of the Canterbury Bus Station and was funded by Land Securities (?). The excavation revealed Saxon and Medieval structures and external areas.

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

Houliston, M., 2002, Pers Comm Mark Houliston (Unpublished document). SKE30156.

Sources and further reading