Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Pond spillway associated with the nearby Early Medieval tidal watermill. The spillway connected a backwater that was used as the mill pond with the river Ebbsfleet and was used to help control the level of water in the millpond and the flow through the watermill.

Location accurate to 2m based on available information.

Monument Types

• SPILLWAY (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 691 AD? to 720 AD? (at some time))

Associated Finds

• DIATOMS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD? to 1065 AD?)
• FORAMINIFERA (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD? to 1065 AD?)
• OSTRACOD REMAINS (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD? to 1065 AD?)
• POLLEN (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD? to 1065 AD?)

Full description

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During archaeological investigations associated with the Channel Tunnel Rail Line in 2001-2003, and in particular the investigation of the Roman wharves associated with Northfleet Roman villa, which lies c. 30 m to the south, the archaeologists discovered a well preserved example of a tidal water mill dating to sometime between 684 and 720 AD (probably AD 691/2) and probably only used for c. 30 years. The spillway connected a backwater that was used as the mill pond with the river Ebbsfleet and was used to help control the level of water in the millpond and the flow through the watermill. It consisted of an open timber chute with wattle revetting on each side. No sluice gate could be discovered. It is suggested that the sluice gate timbers would have probably been removed and re-used when the mill went out of use. (1, 2, 3)

Sediment analysis revealed diatoms, foraminifera, ostracods and pollen. (4)

The spillway was approximately 12m long and ran from the pond down to the main stream channel. A layer of flint rubble was laid along the base of the channel. Over this was the wooden trough which was vertically sided and flat-bttomed. Two elements of the trough survived. One was 3.5m long by 0.75m wide and 0.25m deep. The second was 4.10m long by 0.55m wide by 0.41m deep. The troughs were stabilised by stakes. (4)

<1> Oxford Archaeology, 2003, Ebbsfleet Valley Detailed Mitigation Works, Northfleet, Kent: Interim Statement (Unpublished document). SKE12256.

<2> Rail Link Engineering, 2003, CTRL SECTION 2: ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAMME EBBSFLEET MILL - PROVISIONAL REPORT ON THE RECORDING, SAMPLING AND CLEANING OF THE ANGLO-SAXON AND ROMAN TIMBERS (Unpublished document). SKE12258.

<3> 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.

<4> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. Volume 4: Saxon and Later Finds and Environmental Reports (Monograph). SKE32437.

Sources and further reading

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