Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A number of later post-medieval building remains including chalk block and red brick cellar walls and 18th or early 19th century brick culverts relating to old harbour works were located on and near Elizabeth Street during work associated with the A20 road and sewer scheme undertaken there. Evidence of the infilling of the old Paradise harbour was also uncovered. (location accurate to the nearest 20m based on available information)

Monument Types

• CELLAR (Post Medieval - 1700 AD? to 1899 AD?)
• CULVERT (Post Medieval - 1700 AD? to 1825 AD?)
• DEMOLITION LAYER (Post Medieval - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)

Full description

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This project consisted of a major archaeological watching brief and excavation programme, conducted across an extensive part of the maritime and water-front areas of this important historic town, ahead of major road construction and sewer trenching, between the summer of 1991 and the spring of 1993. There were 21 areas of archaeological investigation: the sixth was Elizabeth Street, east side of The Viaduct, adjacent to railway. A limited watching brief was undertaken during road building and sewer trenching.

A large pit measuring 21.5m by 5-5.5m was excavated on the eastern side of Elizabeth Street, formerly Limekiln Street, adjacent to the old railway station. This was for the foundations of a retaining wall. The pit cut through part of the old railway boundary wall (of yellow stock brick) and was cut to a depth of between 2.35m and 2.5m. on the base of the pit was a uniform deposit of clean beach shingle which was sealed by a thick deposit of ‘dirty’ beach single consisting of flint pebbles in a grey clay loam. Where undisturbed, this soil and beach deposit was up to 1.5m in thickness. It contained a few small fragments of peg-tile but no other datable material. It was probably of a post medieval date. The dirty beach material was cut by a series of 19th century disturbances of an undefined type.

This layer was also cut by three chalk block walls on the western side (under the existing road surface). The appear to relate to two separate cellars, the north and south sides of one and the western side of another, a chalk block tank was also revealed in the western section face. The first cellar was 4.1m in width with a minimum depth of about 1.5m. it was filled with a series of demolition deposits, including a layer or red brick rubble, peg-tile and cream mortar rubble on the base. The bricks appeared to be of a 19th century date but the chalk block walls seemed to be earlier (though still post medieval). There was no obvious floor level on the base of the cellar.

The other wall which formed the western side and south-western corner of a second cellar had been otherwise completely removed by the machine. The west wall was traced for 3.5m, it was broken by two (?) entrance gaps, the most southerly of which was edges with red bricks of a probable 19th century date. The wall stood to a height of 1.25m.

It seems likely that the buildings represented by these cellars predate the construction of the railway station as this always had a large clear are in front of it.

A trench excavated to the rear of a motor garage at the southern end of Elizabeth Street to a depth of 6m below the surface. Deposits relating to the infilling of the paradise basin were recorded alongside clays and silts.

A final trench excavated for a new tank at the junction of Elizabeth Street and Hawkesbury Street (on the site of the old National School) revealed two large brick lined culverts with vaulted roofs. These were built of red or yellow stock bricks and were both completely filled with dark grey mud/silt, at high tide they filled completely with water. Each culvert had a width of c.2.5m and both were aligned north-east by south-west. They were at least 1m deep and ran parallel to Hawkesbury Street. The bulk of the walling was of red brick set in a cream white mortar. The yellow stock bricks appear to represent a later repair to the top of the southern culvert, the yellow bricks were set in a grey mortar. The culverts were retained to serve a drainage purpose. It seems likely that these two culverts are associated with the old entrance to the Paradise Harbour. The red brick-work appears to be of 18th or early 19th century.(1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, Dover Sewers/A20 Project 1991–3, Assessment Report and Updated Project Design (Unpublished document). SKE31815.

Sources and further reading