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 a number of walls representing the former site of the Officers Mess at the north eastern end of the site. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• WALL (Demolished, Post Medieval to Modern - 1805 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 a number of walls representing the former site of the Officers Mess at the north eastern end of the site. Two of the walls uncovered represented the outer walls of the structure, giving an internal width of 8.3m for the building overall. There appears to have been two phases of construction for this structure, the southern of these outer walls are clearly of the earliest phase. This wall was traced for a minimum distance if 1.65m, it was 0.6m wide and at least 0.27m deep, constructed of four courses of over fires yellow (mostly in the SW face) and dense red brick, all set in a light grey gritty mortar containing chalk/lime and charcoal grits/ specks. The northern outer wall was of the second phase a section of it still survived as a low ruin, it was 0.59m wide above the doubel offset and at least 0.77m below. It survived to a total height of 0.78m (14 courses) and was constructed of red and yellow bricks set in cream sandy mortar with chalk grits laid in English bond. Abutting this wall, and contemporary with it, was another which was aligned north-east by south west and was traced across the full width of the building for a distance of 8.3m. It was built from red and yellow bricks set in cream-yellow sandy mortar with occasional chalk grits. A number of short spur walls abutted or were bonded into it at intervals along its length and these were perhaps supports for wooden floor joists. On the southern side of the early southern outer wall was a later wall traced for a minimum distance of 1.05m. It was 0.36m wide above offset level and 0.48m below. It survived to a depth of at least 0.27m and comprised four courses of mixed frogged yellow and dense red bricks set in a cream yellow sandy mortar with occasional chalk specks. Based on later C19th plans and photographs this would seem to represent part of a projecting entrance porch on the front of the building. (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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