Monument record TQ 67 SW 1706 - Anglo-Saxon sunken feature building, Springhead

During an archaeological evaluation undertaken by Wessex archaeology in 2008, feature possible representing the site of an Anglo-Saxon sunken feature building was uncovered in the south-western part of the Site. The sub-rectangular pit was partially revealed and measured 4m in length, 1.80m in width and 0.50m in depth. The sides were steep, concave and shallow, and the base was almost flat. Its single fill, probably a dumped deposit, contained sherds of Saxon pottery (of 6th – 7th century AD date), butchered animal bone and flint. It is worth nothing that a Visigothic brooch from the 6th century was recovered during the CTRL some 50m to the south. There appears therefore to be sufficient evidence to infer dispersed settlement/light industrial activity along the eastern bank of the Ebbsfleet River and even possible trade with Europe. This fits with a general interpretation of occupation activity along the banks of the Ebbsfleet during the Early-Mid Saxon period. (1)

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2008, Springhead Quarter: Phase 2 & Phase 3 Trial Trench Evaluation, Ebbsfleet, Kent: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE17952.