Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During a watching brief undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust through the West Sallyport of the Citadel and out to a new pumping station, an iron rail set was uncovered, set in concrete, running along the eastern side of the entrance passage. Alongside this a flanged wheel, 300mm in diameter and 95mm in thickness, was recovered. These may be interpreted as relating to a sliding bridge which originally crossed the moat here. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• BRIDGE (Post Medieval to Unknown - 1805 AD?)

Full description

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During a watching brief undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust through the West Sallyport of the Citadel and out to a new pumping station, an iron rail set was uncovered, set in concrete, running along the eastern side of the entrance passage. This rail was at least 50mm high and 40mm wide with a minimum length of 4.7m. Alongside this, a flanged wheel was recovered. This wheel was 300mm in diameter with an additional 33mm wide flange, it was 95mm in thickness and set on a square sectioned axle 50mm across which survived for a length of 600mm. Subsequent excavation of the main pipe trench produced a second length of suqre sectioned axle rod in the rubble close to the wheel findspot. These may be interpreted as relating to a sliding bridge which originally crossed the moat here and the discovery of the cast rion wheel in the overlying rubble would fairly certainly have been attached to the moveable part of the bridge structure. No other remains of the bridge were revealed. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at the Young Offender's Institution, Dover Western Heights Citadel, 1998-9 (Unpublished document). SKE7531.

Sources and further reading