Archaeology Research Group Minutes - 24th June 2025
Minutes of the Archaeology Research Group (ARG) meeting held in person at The Shooting Lodge, Lees Court Estate on Tuesday 24th June 2025.
1. Welcome
A. Thanks was given by KP to The Lees Court Estate & The Countess Sondes for use of the shooting lodge
2. New members of ARG
A. Four new members were welcomed into the Archaeology Research Group: Paul Samual-Armour, Paul Everest, Fabio Surace, and Ann Isenberg.
3. Acceptance of the Minutes of 18th January 2025.
4. Conferences
A. Forum
i. 15th March 2025: Feedback positive, video available on KAS website.
ii. Challenges Facing Kent’s Archaeology — Kent Archaeological Society
iii. Outline of the key takeaways raised by members circulated to new board of trustees.
iv. Forum 2026: Planning & Suggestions
1. Potential 21st March 2026 date
2. Possibly based at Canterbury Christchurch Uni
3. Points were raised here regarding what finances the ARG held for organising conferences and providing grants. Clarification is being sought from the Board of Trustees.
B. Conference
i. November 2025: Thanet & North-East Kent (15th Nov).
1. Always struggle with finding topic, but building on success of Darent Valley conference in 2024 looked to focus on areas of Kent. Thanet & North-East Kent decided as area of focus.
a. Commercial Archaeology in Thanet
b. Ozengell Collection
c. KCC Mapping Project
d. The archaeology of Thanet
e. Roman Villas in the Wantsum Chanel.
f. Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society
C. Other Events
i. AGM 2025
1. AGM Successful; Richard Taylor and Kerry Brown have stepped down.
2. Updated list of trustees posted on the Charity Commission Website, with other changes potentially down the line. KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - 1176989. Updated list will in due course be added to the Profile page of the KAS website.
ii. Metal Detecting Event: 25th October 2025
1. Aylesford Priory; change layout to avoid columns being in the way of the screen.
2. Ideas to promote sensible detectorists through the work of the KAS.
3. Paul Everest potential fourth speaker?
4. Approach metal detectorist who has worked with commercial? –
5. Can we find a young metal detectorist? Social media detectorist?
5. Budgets
A. Grants applied for (see below) approved for spending, but clarification sought for yearly budget.
6. Grant Applications and Payments
A. Radiocarbon Dating – Payment approved and sent to Rebecca Fletcher for payment.
B. NT Graffiti Survey – Waiting for payment information from Natalie Cohen
C. Sedgebrook – Not heard back from Steve Willis
7. Concerns were raised regarding large organisations such as the National Trust being given grant funding from the KAS, regarding the ability of large organisations to apply for grants from NHLF. We can change writing on the website to make preference clearer towards small scale projects. KAS should be promoting via social media: leading into each meeting.
8. Sub-Research Groups Update
A. It was decided to remove the sub-research groups update from the agenda going forward, as no sub-research groups are currently active. If membership is keen on investigating certain aspects of Kent’s archaeology this can be reconsidered.
9. Fieldwork Projects
A. Badlesmere Park Wood Barrow
i. Max numbers 17 people; difficult site to work on but an extremely hardworking team.
ii. Proved there was a mound in the wood, initial thoughts to be a long-barrow but likely to be a circular mound/barrow mutilated by numerous trackways.
iii. No encircling ring ditch.
iv. Scrapped up mound consisting of clay, flint & silt with c. 500 flint fragments including two Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowheads.
v. Medieval ditch found but only in one trench.
B. Holly Field Trench
i. A false start as numerous education visits booked unfortunately dropped out. However, keen to continue working with Kent Downs National Landscape Geopark
C. Front Brents. Faversham
i. Very successful community excavation undertaken between May 24th and 1st June in partnership with the Faversham Creek Trust and Faversham Society Archaeology Research Group
ii. Uncovered evidence of 19th century tenement buildings and numerous finds with over 300 volunteers and members of the public taking part.
iii. Members of the ARG raised the fact that membership emails for our talks, updates & volunteer emails can be missed due to volume; subject headings need to be made more clear.
10. Any Other Business
A. Online KAS guide to the Archaeology of Kent
i. Idea for members of the KAS to complete pro-forma highlighting little known or visited historic and archaeological sites across the county for inclusion on the website. To include mention of any interpretation on site (boards, pamphlets etc.), condition, and accessibility.
B. New member profiles live on website
i. Bios for members of the ARG can be found on the website: Archaeology Research Group — People — Kent Archaeological Society
C. Heritage At Risk (HAR) Project and Monument Monitoring.
i. Kent Downs project post-Darent valley. Aimed to be a NHLF funder project partially reinvigorating monument condition risk monitoring. Project to include training & capital investment in stabilising at Risk monuments. Includes both built heritage and monuments. Large outreach engagement aspect including talks, workshops and limited community archaeological projects likely to be focused on 13th – 14th century aisled building at Otford Palace.
D. University of Kent Opportunities
i. Online archaeology day at UKC. October/November.
ii. Careers fair at UKC
iii. YAC – Add to agenda for future discussion. How do we engage with YACs; circulating opportunities.
E. Walderslade Well Research: Original research enquiry sent to KURG. Future enquiries to be sent to the ARG to answer.
F. Kent LiDAR Portal.
11. Next Meeting Date: Poll to be circulated for next meeting, to include Weekday and Weekend dates.
Meeting closed at 13.01pm