Excavations at Overy Street have shown that the top 1.2m all relate to the last 100 years. The work has also revealed that in the Iron Age and Roman times the river was broad and shallow. The only structure disclosed to date lay in the trial hole nearest the river and appears to have been built in Tudor times. Little more than 1.3 metres wide and over 1.5m long this could be the foundation of another small jetty or the foundation of a small bridge. Associated with this structure were consecutive metalled surfaces which may prove to be river side paths. Further research to complete the section, towards Overy Street, is now in hand and hopefully this will not need to go the full 3 metres deep. Attention will be centred on the corner of the Overy Street car park nearest the church, where we expect to uncover parts of the old Roman road. My theory is that this road runs directly under the church tower and thence almost parallel to and slightly north of the High Street and my conjecture as to the line of the old road will thus be put to the test (1). The Overy Street car park exploration has now been concluded indicating beyond doubt that the river was much wider and shallower in Roman times and indeed it was only in the early Medieval period it was channelled into its present course. Much useful information has been gleaned, but regrettably we were unable to locate the Roman road as the area this was thought to be under had been completely destroyed by the foundation of a large concrete Municipal Air Raid Shelter (circa 1940)(2). Overy Street Car Park. TQ 5446 7402. Work started near the Borough Council Cleaning Department, and a series of square grids dug through the tarmac and the underlying rubble soon produced river gravel. Nearest the river itself, a chalk floor and surrounding wall were located. Associated finds showed these to be of Tudor in origin. Beneath the Tudor levels Roman strata were, as usual, soon reached. A variety of sherds, perhaps washed down the hillside, gave a broad picture of occupation outside the town. Excavation at the High Street end of the car park took place under the shadow of the Church tower across the river. It was hoped that foundations of the parade of timber framed shops and houses, formerly known as the `Chicken Run' would be located. To our surprise and disappointment, it was found that everything had been disturbed by the blast walls of a commercial air raid shelter which had been constructed there in World war II, just a few years after the `Chicken Run' had been demolished (3).

During trial pitting for a geotechnical survey of development are the outline of what is believed to be the "Command bunker" or air raid shelter was established. (4)

An evaluation by Canterbury Archaeological Trust in 2010 found dumped deposits of prehistoric and Roman date and later. (5)

<1> Dart and Dist Arch Grp Newsletter 9 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE39610.

<2> Dart Dist Arch Grp Newsletter 10 1976, 1. (OS Card Reference). SKE39621.

<3> Rediscovering Dartford, Dart Dist Arch Grp (1986) 27. (OS Card Reference). SKE49117.

<4> Harris and Sutherland, 1997, Proposed YMCA, Overy Street Dartford (Unpublished document). SWX6827.

<5> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2010, An archaeological evaluation in the car park adjacent to the YMCA Roundhouse, Overy Street, Dartford, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE18246.