During an archaeological watching brief undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust at The Grand Shaft Barracks in 2017 a number of prehistoric struck flints were uncovered. A total of eleven prehistoric struck flints (197g) and two calcined flints (19g) were collected from five separate pre-barracks clay deposits. The largest number of struck flints came from Trench 6 (six pieces). Apart from one tertiary piece, all the flints are secondary flakes, their surviving cortex indicating that they have been produced from the immediately available local downland flint. Most show mottled dark blue − light blue patination. Only two pieces have any evidence of working, both secondary flakes with localised retouching on one edge to create a shallow worked notch. There are no other tools and all the remaining pieces are waste flakes; there is one small blade but this has not been worked. Most probably, this small lithic assemblage is broadly datable to the later Neolithic − Bronze Age period. Although there have been no previous discoveries of prehistoric flintwork within the area of the Western Heights fortress, some lithic material has been found at Archcliffe Fort, located in an adjacent chalkland valley, some 625 metres to the south. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2018, Grand Shaft Barracks, Western Heights, Dover, Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE51431.