During the archaeological investigation of the land north and south of Cottington Road ahead of the redevelopment of the site, a variety of archaeological features finds and deposits were recorded. These included a large number of medieval features which appear to represent part of a possible ladder settlement. The medieval features are limited to the southern of the two excavation areas and are probably conjoined with the south side of the present course of Cottington Road, implying that the road had been used as a highway during the medieval period. Alongside the enclosures the medieval phase comprised discrete features such as furnaces/in situ burning, wells, refuse pits and an SFB, associated with an earlier area of intense use that created a poached soil surrounding other features. The enclosures, their ditches and their interiors underwent a numbers of changes throughout the medieval period, including a later phase of poached soil which surrounded five chalk floor buildings that were positioned along the northern and western edges, as well as other discrete features within the confines of the poached soil. Medieval archaeology also occurred within the south-east corner of the south site and comprised a west, northwest-east, southeast orientated post and flint structure, consisting of two linear flint deposits or mounds, set with reinforcing timber posts. The feature may form part of a medieval sea defence, identified during an archaeological investigation at Oaklands Nursery by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology. The absence of Post-Medieval archaeological activity at Cottington Road suggests that activity on the land north of Cottington Road and east of Lavender Lane, and land adjacent to Oakland Court, and south of Cottington Road, Cliffsend, Ramsgate, ceased sometime before AD 1400 (information summarised from interim report, further detail will be added when the site has been fully processed and reported) (1)

<1> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2022, Archaeological Excavations on Land North and South of Cottington Road, Ciffsend, Thanet, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE58400.