Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations associated with the demolition of the remains of the Church of St. Martin-le-Grand for the erection of a new club in 1881, the remains of a Roman building were uncovered. They were located beneath the foundations of the three western bays of the nave. (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information)

Monument Types

• HYPOCAUST (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• TESSELLATED FLOOR (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• WALL (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)

Full description

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During excavations associated with the demolition of the remains of the Church of St. Martin-le-Grand for the erection of a new club in 1881, the remains of a Roman building were uncovered. They were located beneath the foundations of the three western bays of the nave. These were described as being ‘rooms with concrete flooring and good flint walls and hypocausts […] and a tessellated pavement at a depth of 10 feet’ (3m). These remains were originally interpreted as being part of the Roman building situated beneath St. Marys Church which, but it is more likely that these remains form part of this Roman part of the extra mural settlement associated with the CLBR fort. The excavations carried out here in 1881 also revealed part of a sculpture of an undraped female. (1-3)

<1> Scott Roberston, 1893, Archaeologia Cantiana: The old Church of St. Martin, at Dover. Vol 20 (Article in serial). SKE31793.

<2> Page, W. (ed), 1932, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III (Monograph). SKE7810.

<3> E. G. J. Amos and R. E. M. Wheeler, 1929, Archaeological journal: The Saxon Shore fortress at Dover Vol. 86 (Article in serial). SKE31895.

Sources and further reading

Related records