Monument record TR 16 NW 1309 - Post-medieval sea wall at Sea Street, Whitstable

Layers and deposits associated with the 1583 sea wall were identified during a 2018 evaluation at Sea Street, Whitstable. Furthermore, a layer of shingle beach deposited prior to the construction of the sea wall was also identified in the vicinity of the structure. This comprised an oyster rich layer which is thought to have "marked the margin of the intertidal zone adjacent to Sea Street before the
construction of the 1583 sea wall" (from the original report, 1). The overlying layer contained 3 pottery sherds dating from the 16th century and probably associated with the construction of the wall.

The sea wall was built as part of the town's eastern coastal defences. Its construction allowed the development of a series of buildings of a largely industrial character its vicinity, including sail lofts, blacksmith forges, and stores. The remains of the structure identified in the excavation comprised a piled up shingle, silt and clay bank, the material for which was dug out of an area to the east, creating a large drainage ditch by its removal. Previous investigations in the area identified elements of the sea wall and ditch, the latter described as over 5m in width and 1.3m in depth.
The sea wall was altered to accommodate a walkway following a fire in 1869 which caused extensive damage to buildings (largely industrial in character) in the vicinity. (1)

<1> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2018, Archaeological Evaluation of Land at The Tile Warehouse and Former Boat Storage Yard (The Oval Chalet) and adjoining Land, Sea Street/Sea Wall, Whitstable, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58021.