It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.
Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 67 SW 1384 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Possible late iron age processional way, Springhead |
|---|
Summary
Excavations carried out in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in 2001 discovered a possible late iron age processional way which may have formed part of a larger ritual landscape in the late prehistoric period. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)
| Grid Reference: | TQ 6176 7291 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TQ67SW |
|---|
| Parish: | GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT |
|---|
Monument Types
- DITCH (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
- TRACKWAY (Late Iron Age - 100 BC to 42 AD)
Associated Finds
Full description
If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.
Excavations carried out in advance of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from 2000-2002 (ARC SPH00) discovered a possible late iron age processional way. This may have been part of a late iron age ritual landscape. It comprised two parallel ditches c. 15 m apart that ran north-south along the eastern side of the River Ebbsfleet for c. 450m. They led from a small bay in the riverbank, upstream towards a rise on the slope where the nearby springs come into view. Towards this southern end the ditches widen to 20m and then 35m at the end. The ditches run close to, but not on, the crest of the slope which the excavators believed indicated a ritual rather than practical function (eg a droveway).
The ditches ranged from 1.3 to 3.0 m in width and 0.4 to 1.0 m deep.
The feature appears to be late iron age although there is some suggestion that it may have stayed open into the early Roman period.(1-2)
<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2010, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Unpublished document). SKE31245.
<2> Wessex Archaeology, 2003, Channel Tunel Rail Link Archaeological works at Springhead Roman Town (ARC SPH00): interim fieldwork report (Unpublished document). SKE31600.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Unpublished document: Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture. 2010. Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape. |
| <2> | Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2003. Channel Tunel Rail Link Archaeological works at Springhead Roman Town (ARC SPH00): interim fieldwork report. |
Related records
| TQ 67 SW 311 | Part of: Late Iron Age ritual site, Springhead (Monument) |
