There are two features which appear earlier that the others, the largest of these is a large ditch with stepped sides and a flat base, 0.9m+ in length, 1m+ in width and 1.1m at its maximum thickness. It runs on a east south-east –west north-west alignment and is filled by three fills. The second is linear feature that runs north-west – south east across area B near the eastern limit of excavation. The north-west side of the linear is vertical whilst the south-east side is steep sloping, the linear has a flat base with a length of 0.7m, a width of 0.48m and a depth of 0.58m. The most prominent feature on the site is the double ditch that runs from the north-east corner of area B to the south-west corner. The ditch consists of two parallel ditches, the western has very steep but slightly sloping sides and a flat base forming a narrower ‘U’ shaped profile. It has a length of 15.7m+, an average width of 2.7m and an average depth of 0.57m. Conjoining and parallel on the east side is a ditch that again runs from the north-east corner of area B to the south-west corner and has a length of 15.7m+, an average width of 2.7m and an average depth of 1m. Both contained pottery dating to 550 – 300BC which suggests that both linear features are contemporary or as least went out of use at the same time. This ditch was later infilled and re cut by a single wider, shallower ditch which contained finds dating to 600 – 300 BC and with intrusive finds dating to the post medieval period. In addition to these linear features, pits and post holes were also identified as well as some lesser linear features. These features included a bell shaped granary pit which contained a burial. The pit had an opening diameter of 0.82m, which widened to 1.1m diameters when at its base 1.2m deep. The pit was filled by a moderately compact mid-dark brown sandy silt with occasional small chalk inclusions that at a depth of 0.9m contained an articulated adult human skeleton in the form of a crouch burial, this fill continued under the burial for a further 0.3m suggesting that both the fill and the inhumation had been deposited in a single event. The fill also produced pottery dating to dating from 1550 – 300 BC although the older material could have been residual as other pottery from the feature dated to 550 – 300 BC. Overall the features add to the known record and further reinforcing the narrative of a enclosed settlement at this site during the Iron Age. (information summarised from source) (1)

<1> Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company, 2018, Assessment Of The Archaeological Strip, Map And Sample Of Margate Caves, Northdown Road, Margate, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE56599.