Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

This large structure was located just 70cm below the floor within the derelict Barwicks workshop, on the eastern side of the site, to the south of Market Street. Much of the structure had been destroyed by later activity on the site, including grave cuts, large pits and 19th century foundations. The surviving features included stone and clay floors and evidence of timber walls on at least two sides. Evidence of this structures destruction by a fire was recovered in the form of burnt daub and fire debris over and around it. (location accurate to the nearest 5m based on available information)

Monument Types

• HALL HOUSE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 700 AD to 999 AD)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Medieval - 800 AD to 1100 AD)

Full description

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(Summarised from publication)

This large structure was located just 70cm below the floor within the derelict Barwicks workshop, on the eastern side of the site, to the south of Market Street. Much of the structure had been destroyed by later activity on the site, including grave cuts, large pits and 19th century foundations. The surviving features included stone and clay floors and evidence of timber walls on at least two sides. Evidence of this structures destruction by a fire was also recovered in the form of burnt daub and fire debris over and around it.

The structure had been laid directly above a series on earlier Saxon structures (S9) and was situated just 30cm above its latest floor. The earliest phase of this building is represented by a patchy flint, pebble and mortar floor, by which a minimum internal area of 30m squared, is suggested. This floor was later cut by foundations trenches possibly representing a second phase or rebuilding of the hall in the same position. A trench representing the west wall was traced a distance of 8.9m and a southern wall, at a right angle to the wester, was traced for a minimum of 5.95m before it met the edge of excavation. Within the main foundation trenches, which were 35-50cm wide and 7-23cm deep, was a smaller internal U shaped trench containing fragments of burnt daub and ash. These probably represent the sockets for the wall plates. A floor, for this second phase, of compressed brown clay survived in the north-west corner of the hall. The only features representing the final phase of development of this hall are three small patches of rammed chalk which were covered with fallen burnt daub. There was little dating evidence recovered in association with this hall but the pottery from the underlying soils suggest at date of the between the 8th and 10th centuries for its construction and use. The Medieval pits cutting the hall contained material datable to the 12th and 13th centuries. (1)

<1> Brian Philp., 2003, The Discovery and Excavation of Anglo Saxon Dover (Monograph). SKE31831.

Sources and further reading

Related records