Monument record TQ 67 NE 1016 - Possible Early Medieval beacon, Higham Marshes

A substantial woven‑timber structure was recorded eroding from the mid‑foreshore at this location, representing the remains of an Early Medieval beacon‑type installation dating to the late 9th century AD. The exposed element consisted of a large mass of interlaced hazel branches, measuring approximately 17 m by 5 m, set directly over a layer of burnt flint. Further timbers were visible extending at least 6 m to the east. The feature is now almost entirely lost to tidal action, but satellite imagery from 2007 captured its plan before advanced erosion removed the superstructure.

Radiocarbon analysis undertaken by CITiZAN (the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network) dated the hazel elements to AD 818–899, placing the construction of the structure firmly within a period of heightened Viking incursions into Kent and the Thames estuary. The form and coastal placement strongly support interpretation as an unlit warning beacon platform, likely intended for early detection and signalling rather than continuous burning, which could explain the absence of intense charring on the superstructure itself. The underlying burnt‑flint layer, however, suggests associated heating or clearance activity and may represent a preparatory surface or later episodic burning.

Residual Roman material lay directly beneath the burnt flints, including coarse pottery sherds, confirming that the Early Medieval structure was erected across an earlier Roman landscape surface. This aligns with broader evidence from the OB complex (e.g., OB 01 and OB 03), which records extensive Roman funerary, domestic, and industrial activity across the same foreshore zone. Beyond the hazel nut and occasional Roman sherds, no diagnostic Early Medieval artefacts were recovered, consistent with a functional signalling installation rather than a domestic or industrial locale.

By June 2024, the woven‑branch superstructure had been almost entirely destroyed by erosion, though buried or waterlogged timber elements may still survive beneath accumulating silt. The principal threat—tidal scour—has already removed most of the visible fabric, and no further loss mitigation is feasible aside from documentation. (1)

<1> Steve Trim, 2026, SHORNE/HIGHAM THAMESIDE ROMANO-BRITISH SITES 2012-2015+, OB 02 (Unpublished document). SKE58794.