Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During extensive rescue excavations undertaken across Dover’s Town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, the southern end of a substantial structure representing a barrack block (B25) was located at the Battle of Britain Homes site in 1971 and is today beneath the York Street bypass. The structure was the eastern of a pair (B26 its partner) of barrack blocks, both of which were on a north-south axis, located parallel and about 1m from each other. About 31m of the length of this building was uncovered and at least three periods of development were represented. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

Monument Types

• BARRACKS (Roman - 125 AD to 210 AD)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Late Iron Age to Roman - 11 AD to 176 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD? to 180 AD?)
• SHERD (Roman - 100 AD to 150 AD)
• BOLT (LOCK) (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• CAPITAL (Roman - 125 AD to 210 AD)
• MOUNT (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• PIN (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• RING (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• SPINDLE WHORL (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• SPOON (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• TILE (Roman - 125 AD to 210 AD)
• SHERD (Roman - 138 AD to 161 AD)
• MILITARY STANDARD (Roman - 160 AD? to 210 AD?)
• BEAD (Roman - 163 AD? to 180 AD?)
• NAIL CLEANER (Roman - 180 AD? to 190 AD?)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 190 AD? to 210 AD?)

Full description

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(Summarised from publication)

During extensive rescue excavations undertaken across Dover’s Town centre by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, the southern end of a substantial structure representing a barrack block (B25) was located at the Battle of Britain Homes site in 1971 and is today beneath the York Street bypass. The structure was the eastern of a pair (B26 its partner) of barrack blocks, both of which were on a north-south axis, located parallel and about 1m from each other. About 31m of the length of this building was uncovered and at least three periods of development were represented.

The period one structure consisted external and internal walls of neatly squared chalk blocks set in a chalk wash, 64-67cm wide and surviving to a height of 29cm beneath the later walls and floors. The floor was of thin bands of dumped soil trodden flat. The period one structure appears to have been substantially demolished and replaced with the period two structure of at least five rooms. The new floor was of chalk and the new external walls were again constructed of chalk blocks while the internal rooms were of either chalk block or just clay. These walls and floor are sealed by a layer of demolition rubble, over which the period three structure was constructed. In this period the external walls and some of the internal walls have been retained and the floor consisted of the trampled demolition deposits from the previous phases. (1)

<1> Philp, B. J., 1981, The Excavation of the Roman Forts of the Classis Britannica at Dover 1970-1977 (Monograph). SKE7863.

Sources and further reading

Related records