During a small open area excavation carried out by Kent Archaeological Projects at District Park Manston, two features with a likely later prehistoric date were observed. The first comprised a continuous, 0.75m-wide linear feature, undoubtedly a ditch that extended for some 26m across the area on an approximate north-south alignment and was investigated in five slots. Its single fill of fine light brown, grey-tinged slightly sandy clay-silt had a maximum thickness of 0.4m and produced, in total from the five slots, a single struck flint flake and a small piece of iron slag. Apart from being of probable Iron Age or later, no other indicators of this feature’s age were recovered. However, whatever its age, a low level of contemporaneous adjacent occupation activity was suggested by such a paucity of cultural inclusions. It should also be noted that this ditch was originally cut in the form of a continuous, interlinked series of narrow pit-like sections of variable depths, a method of ditch construction commonly used through the Bronze and Early Iron Age. A dual function as a drainage channel and field or plot boundary is probable for this ditch, on what is relatively free-draining land.

A pit was also observed, this had been disturbed by a later feature The exposed fill of this feature consisted of dark brown/orange slightly humic clay-silt, from which three small potsherds and ten crudely struck flints were recovered, one of the later being purposively worked. The potsherds were sparsely tempered with very small calcined flint fragments. Apart from being of generic later prehistoric age (probably Late Neolithic or Bronze Age), none of the flints or potsherds were more precisely diagnostic in terms of age. (1-2) (information summarised from source)

<1> Kent Archaeological Projects, 2023, Archaeological Investigation Area 1, District Park, Manston Road, Margate, Kent Ct9 4lz (Unpublished document). SKE56956.

<2> Kent Archaeological Projects, 2023, Report of an archaeological investigation by open-area excavation prior to development on the site of Area 1, District Park, Manston Road, Margate, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE56398.