A group of roman features were discovered within a trench during an archaeological evaluation of a site off Tothill Street in Minster, Thanet. The trench contained three large quarry pits as well as two smaller, discrete pits at the east end of the trench. A ditch was also seen, this was cut by later quarry pit. All the features cut the natural chalk geology and were sealed by ploughsoil at a depth of 0.33m. A small assemblage of 19th – 20th century pottery, cbm and worked flint were recovered from the ploughsoil. A small trial excavation in the west end of one of the quarries was 0.59mdeep and contained three backfill deposits. Aside from some Romano-British pottery from the middle fill, the latest fill contained a good assemblage of early 1st to early 2nd century AD pottery (32/538g), some 2nd – 3rd century AD pottery (9/316g), as well as cbm (including a possible tegula fragment) and residual worked flint. The two, truncated, oval pits in the east of the trench were 0.80 – 1.6m in extent and both only 0.19m deep. One pit was was undated, while the other produced a small assemblage of worked flint and Late Iron Age/Early Romano-British pottery (1st century BC – 1st century AD). (information summarised from source) (1)

Numerous pits of Iron Age/Roman date were visible as a cropmarks in Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 21-APR-2007 and EARTH.GOOGLE.COM XX-APR-2017. These features were mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (2)-3

<1> Cotswold Archaeology, 2017, Land at Tothill Street, Minster in Thanet, Kent - Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE55739.

<2> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 21-APR-2007 (Archive). SKE57110.

<3> Google.Com, 1960-2023, Earth.Google.Com orthophotography, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM XX-APR-2017 (Archive). SKE57111.