Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavation revealed the remains of a wooden quay, constructed of oak timbers. Although the nature of the excavation only permitted the recording of a partial plan it was evident that the quay had been of considerable size. The timber structures were found at a depth of between 5m and 6m below the present ground level and were embedded in black mud.

Monument Types

• BRIDGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WHARF (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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In the summer of 1935 the digging of foundations for a new Automatic Telephone Exchange revealed the remains of a wooden quay, constructed of oak timbers. Although the nature of the excavation only permitted the recording of a partial plan it was evident that the quay had been of considerable size. The timber structures were found at a depth of between 5m and 6m below the present ground level and were embedded in black mud. They were for the most part well preserved and showed the marks of the tools used to trim them into shape.
Several soles of sandals were found in good condition. Metal objects were not very abundant but included the bronze rim of the bottom of a bucket, iron nails and sundry remains of tools. A very thin strip of gilt bronze with holes in it for small tacks or rivets was probably part of the casing of a wooden box. Oyster shells and the bones of domestic animals, with horn cores of cattle and pieces of deer antler were fairly abundant. An awl or piercer of red deer horn rubbed down was also found. A corner of an inscribed marble slab, perhaps of a funereal character, was found but with not enough of the inscription to make translation possible. A large flat square stone was probably part of a frieze of a large building, as it was moulded in a way to make such employment likely. From the nature of the ware found it is probable that the quay was in use during the first, second and third centuries AD.

However, it is now considered that the east branch of the river Stour is post-Roman in date and as such a structure is clearly related to the river it must be of a later date. It may be either a Medieval wharf of bridge giving access to the Grey Friars on the opposite bank.

Mead, H. T. and Jones, K. H., 1936, Roman Site and Finds, Stour Street, Canterbury (Article in serial). SKE30408.

Andrews, G., 1985, The Archaeology of Canterbury: An Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE30429.

Sources and further reading