An archaeological evaluation in advance of residential development was carried out at Lower Rainham Road, Kent, between October and November 2022. This evaluation revealed evidence for a series of features, including a tramline (TQ 86 NW 278), a ditch, postholes, pits, and an animal burial. The majority of finds and features are undated, those which were dated originate from the post-medieval and modern periods. This site has been recorded in detail due to the number of undated finds and features excavated.

The tramline (TQ 86 NW 278) was created during the 19th century and went out of use around 1940.

The ditch was recorded in trench 12 and was aligned NW/SE; the excavated section measured 2.2x0.99x0.2m. The fill of the ditch contained a single sherd of post-medieval pottery and a slate pencil.

Two postholes were located in trench 7. One measured 0.33m in diameter and 0.09m in depth, the other posthole measured 0.36m in diameter and 0.51m in depth. Possible CBM fragments were recovered from the fill of the second posthole, otherwise no finds were associated with either posthole.

Four pits were found in association with trenches 4, 10, 16, and 39. The pit in trench 4 measured 2.07x0.94x0.2m; it has been intepreted as a possible tree throw associated with a nearby nursery. The pit in trench 10 measured 1.58x0.58x0.16m; the fill of the pit contained a fragment of oyster shell and sherd of post-medieval pottery. The pit in trench 16 measured 3.5x0.96x0.27m; the fill of the pit contained three sherds of post-medieval/modern pottery, one fragment of post-medieval peg
tile and three fragments of post-medieval brick. The pit in trench 39 was associated with an animal burial. It measured 1.3x1.1x0.13m and contained the remains of a single sheep, a piece of post-medieval/modern bottle glass, a sherd of medieval/post-medieval tile and a fragment of mussel shell.

The animal burial was located in a pit in trench 39. This comprised the remains of a 2-3 year old sheep, thought to originate from the post-medieval/modern period. No evidence for pathology or trauma was indicated on the remains; the species was hornless and an improved breed (indicated by the robusticity of the bones) suggesting it was modern in date.

Finds of particular interest from the site included a quernstone fragment (Romano-British - Anglo-Saxon in date) probably associated with packing material for the tramline, a sherd of Romano-British greyware pottery (unstratified from trench 43), prehistoric pottery (unstratified from trenches 42, 46, 52) of flint-tempered, grog-tempered and sandy wares with a mean sherd weight of 1.4g, and two pieces of worked flint (from trenches 36 and 46). (1)

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2022, Lower Rainham Road, Rainham Medway, Kent (Archaeological Evaluation) (Unpublished document). SKE55553.