Late Iron Age activity was largely confined to Plateau 8, with a field system and associated trackways imposed over the area of the early-middle Iron Age settlement. That the layout of this field system was influenced by the earlier prehistoric landscape was evident by the partial recutting of at least one of the earlier ditches.

The most prominent routeway was most readily identified on the eastern side of Plateau 2, where it formed a heavily truncated, metalled hollow way aligned approximately east-north-east to west-south-west. Further west, its line was marked by a number of intermittent ditch lengths. A small quantity of ceramic material was recovered from the metalling, mostly from slots excavated in Plateau 3. Clearly post-dating the feature this material suggests a broad late Iron Age to early Roman date. Trackway 26 and its associated side ditch may well form a further continuation of Trackway 25. The hollow way, here aligned approximately north east/south-west survived for a length of c. 59m extending across much of the Research Centre area of Plateau 8. It was formed by two parallel linear features, a ditch on the eastern, higher side and an adjacent hollow way, here unmetalled which at its maximum, measured 4.6m wide and 0.40m deep with moderately steep sides and a flattened base. Trackway 27 was located on the north-east side of Plateau 1, investigated during both the main phase of excavation and later plateau extension, with a 41m length extending from the site boundary. Formed by a hollow way that lay on a slightly curved north-west to south-east alignment, it became increasingly eroded to the west before disappearing. A deposit of silt was located at the base of the feature, later sealed by a metalled surface. The presence of the underlying silt deposit would seem to indicate that the metalling was not an original feature, with pottery from this later deposit suggestive the trackway was in use during the late first to second centuries. A series of intercutting ditches aligned on north–south and east–west axes were identified on Plateau 8, extending into the eastern half of Plateau 1. These formed a field system of late Iron Age date that largely superseded the early-middle Iron Age settlement. The ditches defined three easily distinguishable landscape units, fields IA1–IA3. Lying in the north-east corner of Field IA1 was Enclosure 5, that comprised two small paddock like features, 11.48m and 10.88m wide respectively. The dating of this enclosure is difficult as any intersection between it and Trackway 25 lay beyond the limit of excavation. Enclosure 6 lay to the west, defined by two ditches that formed its western and southern boundaries, with its northern limit formed by Trackway 25. Much like Enclosure 5, it is assumed that this feature formed a small paddock. A further field (IA4) was immediately to the north-west of Plateau 8, with only a small part in the excavation area. The field lay on an approximate north-west to south-east aligned axis, mirroring that of adjacent Trackway 27.
(1-2) (information summarised from source)

The cropmark traces of fragmented ditches and enclosures have been seen on BING 2024. ACCESSED 01-AUG-2024 aerial photographs in the field to the north and east of the excavated features identified by the previous authorities. These features are on the same alignment as the excavated remains of the Late Iron Age field system. Cropmarks of further ditches and scatters of pits amongst the traces of field system may be associated with this phase or medieval trackways (TR 26 NE 1304) . These features have been mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet Landscape mapping project in 2024 (3).

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2023, Beneath the Seamark: 6000 Years of an Islands History (Monograph). SKE55405.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2012, Thanet Earth, Plateau 1 extension, 2012: Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE29576.