Roman Buildings at Oaklands, Lower Road, East Farleigh - 2008 Update

Excavations took place at weekends between April and September 2008, ending with an open day attended by 170 people.

The first trial pit this season was excavated to locate the south-east corner of building three. The ragstone foundations of the corner were located and proved the building to be 28 metres long. The width has previously been found to be 8 metres internally. A neonatal infant burial was located in the internal corner. There was no evidence to indicate floor level.

Trial trenching to the west located building five and a blocking wall between buildings three and five. The wall foundations of building five are 500mm wide constructed of ragstone in a yellow mortar. The northwest and northeast corners were located giving a building length of 13 metres. A pitched ragstone floor with a decayed mortar surface was uncovered beneath a layer of demolition ragstone in a black humic matrix. A coin of Valentinian I (367-375) was found in this layer.

The north wall had been pierced by a 2.4 metre-wide opening. The sides of the opening had been rebuilt with semi-circular ends. Sometime later the opening was blocked up; the lowest two courses of the blocking remain. A layer of soot and ash was found on the floor inside the blocking. The north-west corner of the building showed signs of being rendered externally with mortar and lime finishing coat, coloured red.

The relationship between buildings two and three was examined with a 1 x 13 metre trench cut north to south, 2 metres from the west end of building 3. The base of this trench located the edge of an internal wall and a kiln or oven. The threshold of a doorway was found in the northwest corner. These features will be further examined in 2009, together with the use of building five.

Albert Daniels
Maidstone Area Archaeological Group

LEFT: Semi-circular end of north wall of building 5.

OPPOSITE RIGHT: Plan of the site.

LOWER ROAD, EAST FARLEIGH - 2008 UPDATE

Plan of the site.