During an archaeological strip map and sample excavation carried out on land off Briary Road in Margate, ahead of the redevelopment of the site, a group of features were identified as dating to the earliest Iron Age based on their associated pottery assemblages. This included linear features in NNW-SSE alignment that represents potential boundary of coaxial settlement were exposed in western extent of the site. Within southern extent of the site the boundary become ‘causewayed’ and two curvilinear ditches are turning to the south-west plausibly forming another sort of enclosure. Also several discrete features of similar date were exposed within western extent of the site and a large pit accompanied by small undated discrete feature were exposed at eastern side in south-western-central part of the site just before boundary ditch become ‘causewayed’.

The largest quantity of pottery, which derived from the greatest number of vessels, was broadly of Earliest Iron Age style. Much of this material comprised small sized sherds however, with vessels only very partially represented. Mostly flint tempered, the presence of 3 small sherds from 2 vessels made in glauconitic sandy fabrics, was notable. These would have been manufactured somewhere in the Greensand zone in Kent and, though common in those areas, they are only rarely seen in assemblages of this date in Thanet. The simplicity of this assemblage, particularly with regards to the minimal evidence for decoration present, which solely comprised a few body sherds with fingertip impressions, plus the lack of some traits seen in other Earliest Iron Age assemblages locally, offers the possibility that this group might date towards the earlier end of its typical range, perhaps sometimes between around 1000 and 600 BC.

<1> Swale & Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2021, Interim Archaeological Excavation Report - Briory Close, Westbrook, Margate, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE57225.