A Denehole at Kingsdown near Sittingbourne

RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES IN KENT A DENEHOLE AT KINGSDOWN NEAR SIITINGBOURNE Sometime in mid-January 1986 a subsidence occurred on church land 40 m. south of Kingsdown church, Sittingbourne, at N.G.R. TO 92535857. A hole, just over 1.0 m. in diameter, had appeared in a grassed area. The filling of an old shaft had fallen into the underground chambers leaving the ground at the edge of the hole supported by only a thin layer of soil. Upon discovery, the Reverend W. Hill informed Mr R. Baxter of the Sittingbourne Archaeological Group, who in turn contacted both the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit and the Kent Underground Research Group. The site was first seen by a representative of the K.A.R.U. in early February 1986. No underground investigation was made at that time due to the dangerous nature of the shaft. Members of the Kent Underground Research Group (a body whose members have experience in recording and surveying this type of site) visited the hole on 23rd February, 1986, after waiting for the worst of the winter snows to clear. On that date J. Bradshaw and D. Wisson descended the shaft, which proved to be 9.0 m. deep using specialised climbing and safety equipment. The structure was measured and the resulting plan and section shown in Fig. 3. Two galleries could be entered, both in very poor condition, with evidence of several roof-falls and instability. A steep cone of debris some 6.3 m. high lay under the shaft, consisting of chalk fallen from the walls of the shaft and material from previous attempts to fill in a dangerous pit-fall. The last time the shaft was back-filled was in the 1960s as graffiti on the walls of the chambers show that it was open at that time. 243 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES IN KENT DENEHOLE at KINGSOOWN Nr. SITTINGBOURNE TQ 9253 5857 Scale 0 5 SURVEY·. D. W. & J. B. Plotted: R. F. L. SECTION A-A' PLAN Fig. 3. Denehole at Kingsdown. 244 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES IN KENT The excavation was found to be part of a pair of linked 'chalkwell' type of deneholes dug to provide chalk for top dressing the local fields. The type of denehole most common in this part of Kent consists of three short chambers radiating from a shaft. In this case, however, two shafts had been linked by a common gallery. During the investigation an attempt was made to enter a third chamber on the north side of the open shaft. After removing 2.0 m. from the debris cone, it was still not possible to gain access and further excavation was considered unwise given the loose nature of the shaft sides. The second shaft was found at the end of the common chamber and was completely blocked with debris so that access to any galleries to the south was impossible. Although it is very unusual for deneholes to be joined in this way, other examples have been recorded. A similar pair was surveyed at nearby Lynsted in 1977.9 In October 1972, the late J.E.L. Caiger fully reported the investigation of a pair of chalkwells at !stead Rise, Northfleet. 10 R.F. LE GEAR 9 Chelsea Speleological Society Records, vol. 10, 76. 10 Arch. Cant. lxxxvii (1972), 212-21. 245