Monument record TR 36 NE 2658 - Early Roman settlement activity

During archaeological excavations conducted ahead of the development of land at Haine Lodge off Spratling Road, evidence representing settlement activity including cellared or sunken buildings and pits dating from the late first/early second century AD was uncovered. This activity was imposed over the earlier field system, but some, if not all elements of the earlier ditches were still evident in the ground, as the position of some of the structures respected earlier alignments. There wer 16 sunken-featured buildings which were of a typical simple form, subrectangular in plan, though often slightly irregular, with steep or curving sides and flat bases and with an average size of c 3.4m long by 2.1m wide. Some had evidence for access points or ramped entrances. However, there were no associated post-holes and no internal features or occupation deposits to indicate a function. Similar Roman period structures are known from elsewhere in Thanet. The structures were clustered at the southern end of the site, as were most of the datable pits, with a few outliers elsewhere. Nearly all of these features were shallow indicating severe (probably post-Roman) truncation across the site. Recovery of artefacts was generally low for the Roman period features and primarily consisted of pottery, often in small quantities from individual contexts. Many of the pits yielded no datable material, but probably mainly belong to this period. No definite domestic buildings were identified, although two short lengths of heavily truncated curvilinear gullies could potentially represent the eaves-drip gillies of two roundhouses; these circular features would have been up to c 11m in diameter. (information summarised from source) (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2025, Archaeological Excavation: Land at Haine Lodge, Spratling Lane, Ramsgate, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58740.