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, substantial remains of the Classis Britannica fort were uncovered and recorded. Excavations in 1970 in an area which was originally occupied by a small car park on the north side of Queen Street, revealed the remains of a Roman barrack block (B20) of the CLBR fort. Much of this structure had been destroyed by later activity at the site, including the late Roman Saxon Shore fort which destroyed much of the west side. The remaining evidence however, revealed that it lay on a north-south axis and had three main phases of development. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

Monument Types

• BARRACKS (Structure B20, Roman - 125 AD to 210 AD)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Roman - 69 AD to 210 AD)
• LAMP (Roman - 69 AD? to 210 AD?)
• VESSEL (Roman - 69 AD to 210 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 100 AD? to 299 AD?)
• BROOCH PIN (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• COSMETIC CONTAINER (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• DISC (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• LID (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• MOUNT (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• NEEDLE (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• PIN (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• PLUMB BOB (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• STUD (Roman - 125 AD? to 210 AD?)
• TILE (Roman - 125 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, substantial remains of the Classis Britannica fort were uncovered and recorded. Excavations in 1970 in an area which was originally occupied by a small car park on the north side of Queen Street, revealed the remains of a Roman barrack block (B20) of the CLBR fort. Much of this structure had been destroyed by later activity at the site, including the late Roman Saxon Shore fort which destroyed much of the west side. The remaining evidence however, revealed that it lay on a north-south axis and had three main phases of development.

This structure would have formed a pair with the adjacent barrack block (B19) which is located approximately 1m to the west. Only 21.5m of the length of this barrack block was uncovered, however, due to its pairing with barrack block B19, it is reasonable to suggest that it would have once had an overall length of approximately 35m. The evidence representing the first period of development of this structure consists of parts of the east, west and north external walls and two internal cross walls. These were constructed of neatly squared chalk blocks, each roughly 24cm by 12cm by 16cm, set in a grey brown clay loam matrix, on chalk rubble foundations. The east and west external walls gave the building a width of 5.75m while the two internal walls which were uncovered were 7.8m apart; these were possibly separated by another internal wall which would have given the rooms a width of 3.65m, which is similar to the dimensions of the other period one barrack blocks at the southern end of the fort. The evidence suggests that this period one structure was completely replaced by a new building with a different plan. The north end of the building was extended in this phase and the width marginally reduced on both sides. The floors of the second period construction sealed those of the first period along with the internal cross walls. The new external walls were of chalk blocks on a flint foundation. This period two structure seems again, to have been replaced by a structure of similar size and plan. The foundations of this new period three building partially cut the period two walls, they consisted of large flints 60cm wide by 20cm deep within a foundation trench, on top of which were walls of chalk block set in an orange clay. These new external walls sat upon the period two wall stubs and occupation layers and gave a new width of 5.6m (4.35m internally). (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