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IN Vol. LVII (1944) of Arch. Cantiana appeared
a preliminary report of excavations undertaken in September to October,
1944, between the ruins of St. George's Church and the fragment of the
old city wall of A.D. 1300 adjoining the site of St. George's Gate. The
work in progress also included trial trenches at Martyr's Field where an
inhumation cemetery had been located (Victoria County History), but no
burials were found.
Since the above work was reported excavation has been
carried on in Burgate Street at Christmas and during April, 1945. As
previously, Mrs. Audrey Williams of the Ministry of Works supervised the
work. Here part of the foundation and walling of a large building of, it
is considered, the latter part of the 2nd century A.D. were found. Two
rubbish pits which had been dug in the area seemed to prove this. One
had contents dating to not later than the mid 2nd c., the other, which
was later than the building, had pottery not earlier than the 3rd and
4th centuries.
In September, 1945, further work was undertaken in Watling
Street when two gravel roads, one of them perhaps the Roman Watling
Street itself, were cut. On this site foundations of a wall at least six
feet wide were found. |
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The latest excavations have been undertaken since Christmas in Butchery
Lane where the spectacular find of two mosaic pavements of coarse grey
green cubes enclosing panels of conventional flower design in small
coloured tessarae has been opened up. This seems to belong to the
corridor of a late 3rd or 4th c. house. Coins and other small finds are
dated to this period.
Some of the main results of the excavations so far
completed have been given by Mr. B. H. St. J. O'Neil, Chief Inspector of
Ancient Monuments. He considers that the evidence shows Canterbury to
have been of Roman foundation, since so far there is no trace of an
earlier settlement on the site, but that it must have been founded
immediately after the Roman Conquest. From an early date it must have
had a defensive bank and ditch. Slight traces of early buildings of
timber have been found; of stone walls the earliest so far located is
one of a building, which was considerably altered in or soon after the
reign of Hadrian.
The building found in Burgate Street had very substantial
walls and was certainly more than an ordinary dwelling. Further work
here might be most profitable, especially as the building has been |