Romano-British metalled surface, probably representing a south-west to north-east aligned street or road. The area excavated is is sited either at the outer corner of two roads/streets forming a
right angle, or at the north-eastern corner of a metalled surface such as a courtyard.

A single machine-excavated trench c6m long was investigated during previous evaluation at the site in July/August 2012. "This indicated the presence of Romano-British metellings representing a south-west to north-east aligned street or road, dated through artefactual evidence to the late first or second century. This was seen as a continuation of a similar dated street/road identified in 2006 to the west at 1 Ryde Street."

"Although cultural material present included a large sherd of mid thirteenth- to fourteenth-century Tyler Hill pottery, medieval peg-tile, sixteenth- or seventeenthcentury glass and clay pipe, along with fragments of oyster shell, animal bone and charcoal, these deposits were considered to be disturbed upper surface of the Romano- British street/road metallings seen in the earlier evaluation trench less than c6m to the south. These deposits were left undisturbed in situ." (1)

An evaluation carried out in 2012 also identified layers of metalling for a SW-NE aligned street or road dating to the late 1st or early 2nd century. At least two phases of construction were identified, represented by two layers of gravel metalling. Contained within the metallings were a "large fragment of Dressel olive oil amphorae, originating from southern Spain, and a sherd of Canterbury sandy ware from a reed flanged dish," (from the original report, 2) which have dated the surface to late 1st or early 2nd century.
Also identified at the site was a deposit containing small fragments of charcoal, daub, ceramic building material, and a fragment of iron slag. The deposit has a suggested Romano-British date due to the presnece of the CBM. It may represent the fill of a linear feature - possibly a roadside ditch associated with the metallings. The ditch was aligned SW-NE and had a recorded width of 1.18m and a depth of 0.25m. It had been infilled by a series of disturbed/slumped metallings. (2)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2015, Land to the read of 38B St Dunstan's Street Canterbury: Watching Brief Reports (Unpublished document). SKE51890.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd., 2012, Archaeological evaluation at Land to the rear of 38b St Dunstan’s Street, Canterbury, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE55706.