Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During an archaeological watching brief undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust at The Grand Shaft Barracks in 2017 walling relating to the former site of an annexe of the Soldiers’ Quarters Range A. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• WALL (Demolished, Modern - 1914 AD? to 1960 AD?)

Full description

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During an archaeological watching brief undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust at The Grand Shaft Barracks in 2017 walling relating to the former site of an annexe of the Soldiers’ Quarters Range A. It was located well to the north-west of the rear wall of the main range of block A, another wall was located adjacent to the site access road. This related to the annexe that was subsequently added to the ablutions block behind the main barracks building during the early twentieth century. Due to the terracing of the sloping ground, the wall was well-preserved and survived to a height of almost 2 metres, its top being truncated level with the road surface. It was 0.36m wide and consisted of red and yellow bricks set in a yellow-grey sandy mortar. Structural details preserved on the inside face of the wall included a band of white glazed ceramic tiles extending above the remains of a horizontally projecting slate sink/basin surround, complete with a small rectangular depression to hold a bar of soap. The surround had been mounted about 0.90m above floor level and the curved edge to the hole for the sink/basin indicates a circular or oval shape for this. Pipe-work and a drainage gully at floor level also survived, making this one of the most intact parts of the barracks complex revealed by the trenching. Following its abandonment, the ablutions room had been infilled with an extensive dump of coalfire ash and cinder, up to 1.00m thick. This had the appearance of being deposited during the final stages of the military occupation of the site, rather than later as part of the 1960s demolition and levelling process. If this is correct, the implication would seem to be that this portion
of Soldiers’ Block A had already gone out of use and so provided a convenient place to dump waste from coal fires heating still-occupied parts of the complex. The adjacent metalled road could have provided a ready access point for the dumping of such material into the abandoned annexe. (summarised from report) (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2018, Grand Shaft Barracks, Western Heights, Dover, Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE51431.

Sources and further reading

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