Archaeology and the Channel Tunnel

PAUL BENNETI c... ..bwr - Eurotunnel evaluation -Ashford 􀀗 _:::.,:􀀈:....:.:.:..:::...::..::...::: _____ :: _________ 􀀁􀀂 -- Fig. 3. Location of two Late Iron Age occupation areas recorded during the construction of the Ashford terminal. C. FOLKESTONE Most of the archaeological fieldwork for Eurotunnel has concentrated on the main terminal site at Folkestone, on a strip of land against the foot of the North Downs, which has been intensively settled and exploited since prehistoric times. Space does not allow for a detailed site-by-site description of discoveries here. The information presented below has, therefore, been designed briefly to draw out the main threads of the extraordinary story of that area; a story which continues to be wrested from the soil during the period of construction. Of the ninety-nine separate areas of archaeological and historical interest defined in early reports as being within the Folkestone area, only twenty-six were within the U.K. terminal boundaries, and most of these proved to be of passing interest only. This initial period of evaluation by machine-cut linear trenches, involved the removal of topsoil to the level of natural subsoils and detailed shovel and trowel work to determine the presence of archaeological features by changes in the colour, texture, and content of the soil. Though much of the historic landscape had been badly plough-damaged, tantalising traces of habitation suggested settlement over a considerable period. 4