Virtual tour of Trosley Court Heritage excavations

The Society is conducting an evaluation excavation over a Roman Villa site in Trottiscliffe near West Malling as part of the Trosley Court Heritage Project (TCHP).

Recorded Sun, 24 Sep 2023

Background

Interest was aroused by the crop markings as set out below. Last year we conducted preliminary fieldwalking and test pitting, establishing the presence of possible Roman buildings.

Cropmark images, courtesy of Google Earth, showing the outline of structures beneath a ploughed field. — Cropmark images, courtesy of Google Earth.

A resistivity survey corresponds with the cropmarks, which have enabled the projection of the possible building outlines.

Highlighted foundations of two large and one small structure.

Preliminary research revealed a fascinating historical and archaeological landscape: nearby is Coldrum Long Barrow; cropmark investigation indicates ring ditches within sight of the Villa; the Textus Roffensis has a 778 AD reference to the origins of the nearby Church, and the nearby Manor House was at one time a Bishop’s palace and frequented by Hamo de Hethe (Rochester Cathedral).

Autumn 2023 excavations

Excavations in September of 2023 revealed the remains of a Roman Villa bathhouse, featuring a largely intact hypocaust, areas of surviving tiled flooring, and even the lower portions for two sunken plunge pools.

Follow the numbered annotations to find out more: