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 the remains of a 20th century building representing the former site of a miniature rifle range. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• FIRING RANGE (Modern - 1914 AD? to 1960 AD?)
• WALL (Modern - 1914 AD? to 1960 AD?)
• FLOOR (Modern - 1960 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 the remains of a 20th century building representing the former site of a miniature rifle range. It was primarily defined by a solid concrete base/floor set within narrow brick walls that had been demolished to floor level. The overall width of the building was 7.57m (24ft 10ins). One curious feature located within the structure, let into the concrete base itself, was a deep, concrete-lined trench partially filled with dirty sand. This trench was 5.55m (18ft) long (NW–SE), 0.90m (3ft) wide at the top (NE–SW) and about 0.90m (3ft) deep, with slightly battered sides and a flat, concrete base. A trench of precisely the same dimensions and positioning is clearly shown on a military plan of the building drawn in 1936. Immediately to the north-east of the trench, this plan shows a set of ‘Moveable Firing Platforms’ but the actual function of the trench itself is not clearly stated – perhaps it served as a firing trench. (summarised from report) (1)

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 Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2018, Grand Shaft Barracks, Western Heights, Dover, Evaluation Report (Unpublished document).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

Sources and further reading