Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations near the church of St. Martin Le Grand in 1950 a series of Roman walls and floors were located. After the third phase, represented by a demolition layer, the re-occupation of the site is apparent represented by the re-building of the northern wall and the re-laying of puddled chalk floors (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information).

Monument Types

• FLOOR (Roman - 199 AD? to 250 AD?)
• WALL (Roman - 199 AD? to 250 AD?)

Associated Finds

• COIN HOARD (Roman - 250 AD? to 299 AD?)

Full description

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Excavation in 1950 at a war damaged site to the west of Market Square, near the Church of St. Martin Le Grand revealed the principal part of two Roman rooms. After the demolition of the third phase of this site there are signs of re-occupation, this constitutes the fourth and final phase of this building. The northern wall is re-built on roughly the same line as the earlier northern wall and a puddled chalk floor is put down on top of the building debris. Other walls appear to have been still standing and have been re-used in this phase. This re-occupation was abandoned in turn, and the floor became covered with fallen building material. Trampled into the top of the re-built wall of phase four and into the top of the fallen debris adjacent were over seventy coins belonging to the latter part of the third century AD. Two similar coins were found in room A. The levelling which contains fourth century material possibly represents the preparation of the site for the building of St. Martin Le Grand. (1)

<1> L. Murray Threipland, 1957, Archaeologia Cantiana, Excavations in Dover Vol. 71 (Article in serial). SKE31703.

Sources and further reading