Notes from the County Archaeologist
Introduction
I think it is true to say that Kent is probably presently the busiest county in England archaeologically as a result of development activity in connection with Rail Link and Thames Gateway, as well as other projects elsewhere in the County. Certainly there is no prospect currently of archaeological boredom setting in. The intention of this short piece is to bring members up to date with some recent happenings and initiatives - more perhaps in subsequent issues of the Newsletter.
The Channel Tunnel Rail Link
By the time that this Newsletter is published archaeological field-evaluation for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link should be well underway. In addition to a separate contract for work in the Ebbsfleet Valley, one of the most sensitive parts of the route archaeologically, four other contracts for trial excavation are covering a further 35 potential archaeological 'sites'. The archaeological project, with intensive fieldwork over the next two years covering a route-length of 108 kilometres, will probably be the largest such venture ever undertaken in this country.
Preliminary studies have been going on for several years involving desk-top studies, fieldwalking, geophysical survey and some trial trenching. A comprehensive archaeological study by the Oxford Archaeological Unit formed part of the Environmental Statement. Access for detailed field Investigations was, however, limited prior to the Royal Assent for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act in December of last year. Union Railways and London and Continental Engineering, working within the provisions of the Act, are now embarking on a major programme of archaeological fieldwork, firstly evaluation and then more intensive excavation of selected areas. The work will involve a number of archaeological contractors; English Heritage and my own team, working closely with the District Councils affected by the route, will be monitoring the work and seeking to ensure that the opportunity is seized to make a major contribution to the understanding of the archaeology of Kent.
A Digest of PPG 16 Archaeological Work
Since the introduction of PPG 16 in 1990 a considerable amount of archaeological work has been generated through the planning process, not all of which has yet been published or indeed will be published. We are presently working on a digest of this and other similar work, summarising what has been found and indicating where to go to get further information. When complete the digest will be submitted to Archaeologia Cantiana. It is our intention then to provide regular updates.
Anglo-Saxon Dispersed Rural Settlement in Kent
While Anglo-Saxon Kent is well known for its rich Pagan Saxon cemeteries, settlement evidence has been rather sparse outside Canterbury. The last year, however, has produced evidence of two dispersed settlements in east Kent. Firstly work ahead of the Whitfield-Eastry bypass by Canterbury Archaeological Trust for KCC Highways has uncovered the remains of two small timber halls and five sunken featured buildings dating to the sixth century.
Secondly work by Wessex Archaeology on a Tesco's supermarket site near Ramsgate has uncovered a further group of five sunken-featured buildings (as well as a late bronze age rectangular post-built structure). The work has demonstrated that there are surely other such sites waiting to be found in Kent, but that they will be difficult to find: in retrospect the sites could so easily have been missed in spite of systematic archaeological evaluation and indeed in both cases the decision to strip fairly large areas was critical.
John Williams
Head of Heritage Conservation KCC Planning