Stone Road, Broadstairs

The Trust for Thanet Archaeology has discovered and excavated a small cellared Roman building near Stone Road, North Foreland, Broadstairs. This is an area where finds of Roman material have been made in the past, but few sites of the period have been excavated by modern methods.

The building lies on the northern slope of a valley and is constructed on a deep layer of hill-wash containing Iron Age and Early Roman finds. A group of clay hearths found in the chalk floor of the building are evidence of an industrial process that was carried out within the building. A fragment of a large millstone, possibly from a mechanical mill, and several fragments from hand querns were found and it appears that grain may have been processed at the site ready for milling.

Detailed analysis of the building and finds are at an early stage and there is more to discover from the records and artefacts about the history of the building. Archaeological sites dating from the Bronze and Iron Ages have been excavated recently in the North Foreland area and the discovery of a Roman building nearby adds another layer to our understanding of this area and Thanet's past. Although the building has now been reburied it will be preserved for future generations to investigate further.

Ges Moody
Deputy Director
Trust for Thanet Archaeology

The Roman building under excavation.