The excavation at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School, Canterbury was undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd in June and July 2019. The evaluation took place in advance of redevelopment at the site and comprised 7 excavated trenches. The only feature identified was a Roman/post-Roman ditch feature, alongside a layer of colluvium probably dating from the Iron Age period.

Roman/post-Roman ditch at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School, Canterbury. The ditch was aligned NW-SE; this supports the interpretation of the ditch as Roman as it follows the same alignment as the Canterbury-Dover Roman Road which bounds the north side of the school site. The ditch cut and deposits range from 0.25-0.65m in depth (from the ground level) The ditch contained a number of layers which were analysed through environmental sampling; these contained burnt flint, charred cereal grain, charcoal, and charred seeds. None of the finds were able to assist with dating the ditch. The ditch is thought to be connected to agricultural activity at the site.

Also found at the site were two sherds of medieval pottery; these formed residual deposits in modern layers 101 and 201. The medieval pottery included "a rim sherd from a medieval flanged rim bowl in sandy Tyler Hill ware. This is probably of thirteenth- to fourteenth-century date(from the original report (1))".

The early-Late Iron Age layer of colluvium/hillwash contained a number of finds dating to the prehistoric period. 22 sherds of pottery with a combined weight of 60g were recovered from the site largely comprised small, abraded sherds formed from a range of flint-tempered fabrics. 23 struck flints with a combined weight of 835g were recovered from the excavation. Around 36 burnt flint pieces were recovered from the excavation, with a combined weight of 1125g. This material is thought to date from the prehistoric period and may be broadly contemporary with artefacts such as the pottery and struck flint, therefore dating to the Bronze Age or Iron age. The burnt flint is thought to have been caused by cooking fires.

The presence of the layer of colluvium/hillwash "does suggest an occupation site of later Bronze/early Iron Age date was present somewhere to the south or south-east of the present site (from the original report (1))". (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2019, Simon Langton Girl's Grammar School, Old Dover Road, Canterbury, Archaeological evaluation report (Unpublished document). SKE53225.