Archaeology of the East Kent Access Road

Hundreds of people took time out to discover some of the secrets of east Kent’s past on Thanet’s big dig at the weekend.

Giving the thumbs up are 10-year-old Samuel Bordas, left, and his dad, Chris Smith, from Second Avenue, Cliftonville, who joined other volunteers working on the community excavation.

10-year-old Samuel Bordas, left, and his dad, Chris Smith, from Second Avenue, Cliftonville

Kent County Council principal archaeological officer Simon Mason said: “Everyone really enjoyed themselves. We were pleased that they had the chance to see their local heritage. I had lots of positive comments.”

The dig is the biggest in the country this year and has attracted more than 100 volunteers.

Another open day is planned in June before construction work begins in earnest on the East Kent Access road between Ramsgate and Sandwich.

Over the weekend of the 22-23^rd May, road builders VolkerFitzpatrick HOCHTIEF will be opening their site to local people for a unique opportunity to see the exciting archaeological discoveries being made on the route of Kent County Council‘s new East Kent Access Road.

Visitors will be given guided tours around two of the archaeological excavations. At Tothill Street, in Minster, there is the site of the Community Excavation. Here volunteers are helping the archaeologists to dig a medieval enclosure and the site of a Bronze Age burial mound, one of three on the site. On the second site, visitors will be able to see the remains of another Bronze Age monument and a spectacular Iron Age enclosure with ditches up to two metres deep and a unique Iron Age building within. Finds from the excavations will also be on display.

There will be free guided tours of both excavations and a regular shuttle bus will run between the two sites.

At the Community Excavation there will also be a range of family fun activities. These include pottery-making, digging for finds, the chance to handle ancient finds, and a display of some of the finds unearthed so far.

David Crawford-White, the Archaeology Outreach Officer for the new road said ‘These two days will be a rare opportunity for families and friends to visit the excavations. People will see at first hand what is being discovered. And there will be lots of activities for families can join in.’

The Trust for Thanet Archaeology, The Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society, Kent Archaeological Society and the Cotton-Powell Museum will also be on hand with advice and information.

The two days of tours start and finish at the Holiday Inn Express (Ramsgate-Minster, Tothill Street, Ramsgate in Thanet  CT12  4AU) in Tothill Street, Minster. They begin at 10am and finish at 4pm, and there is free parking at the Inn. Visitors are advised to wear stout shoes as the ground is uneven.

If the the car park at the Holiday Inn is full, additional parking will be available at the VolkerFitzpatrick Hochtief compound at Port Richborough Business Park, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich CT13 9PQ. A regular shuttle bus will run from here to the Tothill Street site.

There is an hourly train service between Ramsgate and Canterbury which stops at Minster Station (www.southeasternrailway.co.uk). From Minster Station, it is a 25 minute walk to the site. There is also a local bus service (no. 42) from King Street, Ramsgate to Minster on Saturday but not on Sunday (www.eastonways.co.uk).

The Community Excavation runs from May 10^th to June 4^th and is open to everyone over the age of 8 years. Download forms to volunteer. There are still a few places left for budding archaeologists of all ages.

One week of the Community Excavation is over half term so that families can come along and excavate together for one or more days.

Over the weekend of the 15th & 16th May locals in Broadstairs and Minster will have the chance to see some of the exciting discoveries archaeologists are making on the route of Kent County Council’s new East Kent Access Road between Richborough and Manston.

An archaeology ‘Roadshow’ will be held at Broadstairs Library on Saturday 15th May and at the Holiday Inn Express on Sunday 16th May. As well as a range of family orientated activities, some of the finds unearthed so far will be on display and there will be a small exhibition.

Archaeologist, David Crawford-White, who is the archaeology Outreach Officer for the road scheme, will have all the latest news. Members of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology and the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society will also be on hand with advice and information.

David Crawford-White, said ‘previous roadshows have been really successful. This time I will also be talking about the Community Excavation that will run from May 10th until June 4th. The Excavation is next to the Minister Services and anyone over 8 years of age can join in. You just need to go the website and sign up.’

Mr Crawford White added ‘This is a great opportunity for local people to get involved in their heritage. One week of the Community Excavation is over the summer half-term and we hope that families will come along and everyone can join in and have a fun day out.’

The Broadstairs roadshow is between 9.00-16:30 on Saturday. The Minster roadshow is between 10.00-16.30 on Sunday. For further details on the archaeology community programme on free talks to local groups and organisations as well as visits to schools visit our Outreach pages.

Details of venues

Broadstairs Library

Date: Saturday 15th May

Venue: Broadstairs Library, The Broadway, Broadstairs  CT10  2BS

Time: 9.00am – 4.30pm

Ramsgate in Thanet

Date: Sunday 16th May

Venue: Holiday Inn Express, Ramsgate-Minster, Tothill Street, Ramsgate in Thanet  CT12  4AU

Time: 10.00am – 4.30pm

During the investigation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Manston along the East Kent Access Road, I had the opportunity to excavate a particularly interesting grave. This contained the remains of what appeared to be an elderly male, probably buried within a coffin. The grave, which was dug into the natural chalk, was unusually large, measuring 2.5 x 1.15 x 0.57m. The grave was aligned east to west which suggests that the man may have been a Christian.

Although the man’s bones were in poor condition, the objects he was buried with were exciting to uncover, both as an archaeologist and as an Anglo-Saxon re-enactor. This man had been buried with a scramasax, a type of short sword, across his chest. The scramasax was 15 inches (36cm) long. As well as this three smaller knives had been placed by his left side.

The Anglo-Saxon burial

The word Scramasax is Anglo-Saxon and in those times they were not only practical weapons but also an indication of the social status of the individual. A free man would not travel anywhere without his scramasax attached to his belt across his waist, and it is likely that this man held an important role in the community– maybe a Shire Reeve.

Some metal objects from a belt were found at the dead man’s waist. There was a small copper buckle on his right side near his pelvis and a small copper belt fitting on his left side. By his feet there were also some iron objects. One of these had a small copper rivet through it and it might be from a sword scabbard?

This man was obviously important and well respected by his family to have such fine objects buried with him.

Michael Harris.

From the sublime to the ridiculous

There were four of us today, hunched over our washing bowls, begloved hands clutching kebab sticks or very worn down toothbrushses to clean the finds.

Talk ranged from solving the Middle East to how to find and indentify parasites on the shells we washed (Answers on a postcard to David Crawford-White!).   It seems that the early inhabitants of Thanet lived on mounds of oysters, dog whelks, mussels and limpets (Neolithic chewing gum?) – and we are the ‘chosen ones’ to clean the dirt of their discarded dustbins.  Breaking the shelly monotony of today’s efforts were some unexpected bones – including one splendid animal skull (sheep or goat – apparently even the experts find it hard to tell the difference!). Angela digs into the muddy lump with her stick saying  ‘Perhaps there’ll be a special miraculous something in all this mud.’  We live in hope!

Finds processing

Ellie, the finds boss, calls us into another room to show us some complete pots dug out whole yesterday and packed oh-so carefully for transport.  Meanwhile professional archaeologist and lyric Richard silently wields pen and ink in his corner, labelling every day finds for perpetuity. It’s nearly time to leave for the day. Sian asks, ‘Is it restoration cream time?’ Is she referring to her hands or her face?

Finds washing

Thanet’s latest big dig revealing the area’s exciting history is being captured on film.

A rich vein of important archaeological remains discovered along the entire route of the East Kent Access road is being recorded for a major BBC2 documentary, Digging for Britain. The programme is due to be broadcast in August.

The excavation is the largest dig in the country in 2010 – over six kilometres long.

KCC archaeologist Simon Mason being interviewed by the film crew

The finds include twelve Bronze Age ring ditches (the remains of burial mounds) dating back over 3,500 years, Iron Age enclosures and a village which lasted into Roman times at Ebbsfleet.

There are also areas of Roman settlements, their fields and track ways, Roman and Saxon cemeteries, Saxon buildings, and a large Saxon enclosure with huge quantities of shellfish, evidence of the preparation of a feast or processing later provisions.

More recent finds include the remains of trenches excavated to defend Manston airfield during the second world war.

Kent County Council principal archaeological officer Simon Mason, who was interviewed on location, said:

“Thanet was the gateway to England in ancient times and it’s no surprise that this dig has unearthed so many valuable remains. What is impressive is the story it tells us about how people were living here.”

Local people are being invited to get involved with the big dig. Volunteers can work alongside professional archaeologists during a community excavation from 10 May until 4 June, and school visits are being arranged. Archaeologists are also available to talk to schools, societies and local organisations.

Archaeologist Rob Scott holding part of a bone knife handle that he found during the dig

The BBC have recently covered our work on the East Kent Access Road. The news feature “Thanet road dig uncovers 5,000 years of Kent history” is available to watch on the BBC News website.

View the video clip.

Kent County Council say:

“Exciting archaeological discoveries are being made on Thanet this spring and local people are being asked to join the excavation and help.

Archaeologists are excavating and recording remains on the route of the East Kent Access Road on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. The excavation is the largest dig in the country in 2010: archaeologists will excavate an area over 6km in length before road works begin.

The new road is in an area particularly rich in archaeological remains from prehistoric, Roman and Saxon times. The road runs close to the mouth of the Wantsum Sea Channel, an important route that was a gateway for ancient peoples into Kent used by ships until medieval times. We think that a number of revolutionary events in British history took place in this area: the invading Roman Emperor Claudius landed at Richborough in AD43; the arrival of Saxons in the fifth century and later the landing of St Augustine with his mission to bring Christianity back to Britain in AD597.

Now the soil is removed important archaeological remains have been revealed all along the route. Among the important discoveries are: the remains of nine Bronze Age barrows (burial mounds) dating back over 3,500 years; numerous Iron Age enclosures and a village which lasted into Roman times at Ebbsfleet. There are also several areas of Roman settlement scattered across the landscape connected by tracks and roads, some of which are still in use today; Roman and Saxon cemeteries; Saxon buildings and a large Saxon enclosure with evidence of a huge shellfish feast. A medieval farmstead has been found close to Richborough Power Station.

The archaeological investigations are commissioned by Kent County Council through their road builders VolkerFitzpatrick Hochtief JV and are scheduled to continue into the summer.

A programme of talks and exhibitions will allow local people to see some of the archaeological remains as they are uncovered. Members of the public are encouraged to get involved by volunteering to help the archaeologists work on the artefacts and will have an opportunity to participate in a community excavation in one section of the route.

The East Kent Access Road will provide better road connections between the Isle of Thanet, the national motorway network, Kent International Airport, Canterbury and the European Gateways of Ramsgate, Dover and the Channel Tunnel with 8km of the A256 and A299 upgraded to dual carriageway.

The project is jointly funded by the Department of Transport (£81.25m) and Kent County Council (£5.75m) and should be complete in 2012.

The new road crosses one of the richest archaeological areas in Britain. Before the building starts, archaeologists will excavate along the whole length of the route. This will be the largest excavation in Britain in 2010, covering approximately 40 hectares.

Oxford Wessex Archaeology will carry out archaeological work on behalf of the company constructing the new road for Kent County Council, VolkerFitzpatrick Hochtief Joint Venture.

The archaeological work will be complete by mid-summer. Until then, there will be opportunities for the local community to visit the site and even help with the dig. For more information, please visit: https://eastkent.owarch.co.uk/

Exciting archaeological discoveries are being made on Thanet this spring and local people are being asked to join the excavation and help.

Archaeologists are excavating and recording remains on the route of the East Kent Access Road on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. The excavation is the largest dig in the country in 2010: archaeologists will excavate an area over 6km in length before road works begin.

The new road is in an area particularly rich in archaeological remains from prehistoric, Roman and Saxon times. The road runs close to the mouth of the Wantsum Sea Channel, an important route that was a gateway for ancient peoples into Kent used by ships until medieval times. We think that a number of revolutionary events in British history took place in this area: the invading Roman Emperor Claudius landed at Richborough in AD43; the arrival of Saxons in the fifth century and later the landing of St Augustine with his mission to bring Christianity back to Britain in AD597.

Now the soil is removed important archaeological remains have been revealed all along the route. Among the important discoveries are: the remains of nine Bronze Age barrows (burial mounds) dating back over 3,500 years; numerous Iron Age enclosures and a village which lasted into Roman times at Ebbsfleet. There are also several areas of Roman settlement scattered across the landscape connected by tracks and roads, some of which are still in use today; Roman and Saxon cemeteries; Saxon buildings and a large Saxon enclosure with evidence of a huge shellfish feast. A medieval farmstead has been found close to Richborough Power Station.

The archaeological investigations are commissioned by Kent County Council through their road builders VolkerFitzpatrick Hochtief JV and are scheduled to continue into the summer.

A programme of talks and exhibitions will allow local people to see some of the archaeological remains as they are uncovered. Members of the public are encouraged to get involved by volunteering to help the archaeologists work on the artefacts and will have an opportunity to participate in a community excavation in one section of the route. Further details are on www.eastkent.owarch.co.uk/.

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The East Kent Access Road will provide better road connections between the Isle of Thanet, the national motorway network, Kent International Airport, Canterbury and the European Gateways of Ramsgate, Dover and the Channel Tunnel with 8km of the A256 and A299 upgraded to dual carriageway.

The project is jointly funded by the Department of Transport (£81.25m) and Kent County Council (£5.75m) and should be complete in 2012

The new road crosses one of the richest archaeological areas in Britain. Before the building starts, archaeologists will excavate along the whole length of the route. This will be the largest excavation in Britain in 2010, covering approximately 40 hectares.

Oxford Wessex Archaeology will carry out archaeological work on behalf of the company constructing the new road for Kent County Council, VolkerFitzpatrick Hochtief Joint Venture.

The archaeological work will be complete by mid-summer. Until then, there will be opportunities for the local community to visit the site and even help with the dig. For more information, please visit: https://eastkent.owarch.co.uk/”

On the weekend of 27th and 28th March, locals in Margate and Broadstairs will get the chance for a preview of the exciting discoveries archaeologists are making on the route of Kent County Council‘s new East Kent Access Road between Richborough and Manston.

An archaeology ‘Roadshow’ will be held at Margate Library on Saturday 27th March and outside Debenhams at the Westwood Cross Shopping Centre on Sunday 28th.

As well as range of family orientated activities, some of the finds unearthed so far will be on display and there will be a small exhibition. Archaeologist David Crawford-White, who is the archaeology Outreach Officer for the road scheme, will be on hand with the latest news.

On Sunday, Jennifer Jackson the Finds Liaison Officer of Kent County Council will also be there to identify unknown objects that people can bring along. Members of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology and the Powell-Cotton Museum will also be on hand with advice and information.

David Crawford-White, said ‘This is a great opportunity for local people to hear the latest news, to bring along those unknown objects and get them identified, meet local archaeologists and to see how they can get involved in archaeology.’

He added ‘We can also provide free talks to local groups and organisations as well as visits to schools and will be will running a community excavation later in the year.’

The road shows will be open between 09:00 and 16:30 each day.

For further details on the archaeology community programme and how to get involved visit our volunteers section.

Details of venues

Margate

Date: Saturday 27th March
Venue: Margate Library, Cecil Street, Margate
Time: 09.00 am-4.30 pm

Broadstairs

Date: Sunday 28th March
Venue: Westwood Cross Shopping Centre
Time: 09.00 am-4.30 pm

The archaeological excavations in advance of the East Kent Access Road are well underway.

As well as finding out about the teams of managers, project officers and specialists featured in our “Team” section, we have lots of highly skilled archaeologists working out ‘in the field’. The teams from two of the excavation zones paused from their work for a few minutes to pose for some group photos:

The archaeological team at Zone 14

The team from Zone 23 (Minster Services)

If you would like to volunteer and help out with the excavation, try finds and environmental sample processing, or just come for the day, see our Frequently Asked Questions to see what opportunities are available.