A Brief Interim Report on the Excavations carried out for the Kent Archaeological Society at Godmersham Court Lodge - 1985
For exactly four weeks from 5th August to the 1st September 1985, the first season of a major new excavation and fieldwork project was carried out on the site of the 13th century Court Lodge at Godmersham which had been demolished in 1955. A rectangular area of about 102 feet by 47 feet was stripped in order to uncover all of the building that had been standing in 1955, and as expected (after the clearance of many saplings and much undergrowth), only the very lowest parts of the walls had survived.
Three main periods of walls were excavated: the original (13th century) 2½ feet wide coursed flint walls, the flint, brick and reused stone foundations of 18th century brick walls (including the main cellar walls), and a series of later (19th century) red brick walls for small later structures.
Using pre-1955 photographs and drawings as well as the excavation evidence, it was easy to relocate the main hall, screens passage and service block of the 13th century building. This had had exceptionally fine architectural details and quite a large number of architectural fragments in Caen stone and Purbeck marble were found. Virtually the whole of the floor area of the hall had been destroyed by 18th century cellars but enough survived in the north-east corner to show that there had probably been a clay floor (overlying chalk rubble foundations and natural chalk). To the south of the screens passage, a small fragment of the cross-wall for the buttery/pantry area survived, and in these two rooms there were again traces of a clay floor over chalk. On the south side of the western room was a contemporary half-cellar (cut into the natural Middle Chalk), and this connected with the room to the north by a flight of steps. South of the eastern service room was a chalk-block lined well which continued in use to the mid 20th century. To the south of this area was presumably the detached kitchen and we hope to excavate this next year. On the north side of the hall was originally the solar wing, and though this had been demolished in the 18th century, a very fine first floor fireplace and chimney had survived in the gable wall. An engraving of 1792 even showed the medieval stone chimney pot in situ. Remarkably, a large fragment of this chimney was found in the destruction levels. Our excavations also found the remains of a massive 3½ foot wide wall on the west side of the solar undercroft as well as the south wall (the party wall continuing eastwards beyond the line of the east wall of the hall). Excavations next year will hopefully uncover the rest of the foundations of the solar walls as well as the documented chapel, garderobe and oriel.
In the 18th century, the solar block on the north was demolished and replaced by a small lean-to building with outside it on the north-east a pair of 18th/19th century earth closets. To the east of these was a 19th century brick-paved courtyard with a brick-lined cylindrical cistern in the middle. In the hall area, a series of cellars was constructed and these had been filled full of rubble and waste metal, etc. Only the top of this fill was removed. The two rooms of the service block were converted into the dining room (on the east with a 19th century bay window and a sprung-floor) and the kitchen with a large brick chimney stack constructed to the south in the old filled-in half cellar. Beyond this to the south, a new "double-pile" extension had been added which contained the well-head (with a pump) and sink. On the east side was a 19th century study (also on a sprung floor and connecting with the dining room), and to the south of this the back door. Most of the post-medieval levels were fully excavated and it is hoped that next year the remaining medieval levels can be excavated, and that the excavations can be extended to the north and south to locate more of the foundations of the Court Lodge buildings.
A start has also been made on the study of the very detailed documentary evidence for Christ Church Priory's (and later the Dean and Chapter's) Manor of Godmersham, and in the autumn we hope to start a detailed field survey of Godmersham parish (i.e. the Anglo-Saxon estate of Godmersham that was originally given to the Archbishop in the 9th century). Bronze Age, Iron Age (and Belgic), Roman and Anglo-Saxon finds are already known from the parish, and on Godmersham Downs survives perhaps the best-preserved "Celtic" field-system remaining in the Court. Our excavation also located one pre-13th century east-west ditch cut into the natural chalk. This is probably also Roman in date.
Tim Tatton-Brown
(Ed. - A fuller interim report will be appearing in Arch. Cant. Volume 102).
