During excavations associated with the construction of a Swimming pool at Bradstow School in Broadstairs, part of a circuit of a ring ditch and two prehistoric graves were revealed. This forms part of a collection of ring ditches which have been discovered at the school, possibly pat of a barrow cemetery.

When it was fully exposed and cleaned, the plan of the ring ditch indicated that the diameter of the feature had been approximately 19m, comparable with the projected dimensions of the barrow excavated in 1911 by Howard Hurd and the partial ring ditches exposed by the British Museum's excavations. Twelve segments measuring approximately 1 metre wide were excavated at 1 metre intervals through the fills of the ring ditch exposing a vertical section through the fills of the ditch around the circuit. The deposits in the sections did not show any bias in the pattern of filling on either side of the ditch which might have indicated that deposits had eroded from a bank or mound enclosed by the ditch. Instead the profile of the deposits recorded in each segment is reasonably symmetrical, indicating that the ring ditch had remained open for long enough for natural processes to fill the open ditch. The earliest deposit in the ring ditch was a mix of clean powdered chalk and larger chalk fragments, derived from the weathering of the edges of the cut. This was followed by a period where chalk silts and small fragments of chalk began to be mixed with silt deposits derived from the surrounding landscape, which were washed or blown into the ditch. The upper limit of the secondary fill was marked by a distinct symmetrical boundary with the deposit above. Angular flints had settled in irregular clusters in a hollow at the base of the interface with the lower deposit, along the circuit of the ditch. The flint formed a distinct band in the base of the fill, in Segment 6 some disarticulated human and animal bone fragments were mixed with the flints. It is possible that this boundary between the upper and lower deposits records an event where the ditch was cleared of debris, but not to the maximum extent of the original cutting through the chalk. As further deposits of soil began to fill the cleaned out ditch, heavy flints migrated to the centre. Once any organic material had decayed the flints were compacted in isolation in the distinct band observed in each of the ditch profiles. A further three separate periods of soil deposition could be distinguished above the flints, each containing diminishing inclusions of clean chalk. The sequence of fills were best preserved in the western side of the ring ditch which was not truncated by later terracing. The upper deposits of silty loams probably represent the ploughing out of the upper banks and central mound of the barrow into the depression formed by the underlying ditch. This agricultural activity may have taken place as early as the Iron Age. In the upper deposits preserved in the sections on the western side of the ring ditch, thin deposits of chalk fragments were observed in irregular bands. It is likely these were derived from deep ploughing across the upper reaches of the barrow ditch, each cut with the plough pulling chalk from the edges of the ditch into the upper soil fills. There is evidence in the south eastern portion of the ring ditch that the upper soil fills.

Two graves appear to be contemporary with the ring ditch; Grave 1 which was located outside the circuit of the ring ditch and had been identified during the evaluation and Grave 2 located within the circuit of the ring ditch. The grave cut was roughly rectangular in plan with rounded corners, measuring approximately 1.2 metres long, 0.96 metres wide and 0.31 metres deep. The edges of the cut were vertical or slightly undercut in places and the base was generally flat but was slightly irregular because it had been cut in steps along the natural bedding planes of the chalk. It was orientated north east to south west along its longest axis. The grave contained the remains of a young child, which was laid on the base of the cut. The bones were heavily eroded and only a few fragments remained including parts of the skull and long bones of the legs. Despite the fragmentation of the skeleton it was possible to see that the burial was originally in a crouched position. The skull was at the north eastern end of the grave and the skeleton was lying on its left side, a pottery vessel had been placed close to the skull on the south eastern side. The vessel was fragmented and appears to have collapsed under the weight of the fill of the grave. The fills suggest that for some time there was an open void within the grave that left space for the edge of the grave to fall in. Perhaps there was originally a lining to the grave such as a wickerwork basket or a structure made of planks. A second shallow pit, rectangular in plan with rounded corners similar in shape and dimensions to Grave 1, was located to the north of the ring ditch. The edges of the cut were vertical with a flattish base cut into the chalk pitted with solution hollows. Orientated approximately west north west east south east along its long axis, the pit measured 1.59 metres long, 1 metre wide and was only a maximum of approximately 0.1 metres deep. Although no skeletal remains were present within the cut, it is possible that it once contained a human burial; because the remaining cut was so shallow it is likely that any skeleton eroded completely or was truncated by later terracing. (1-2) (information summarised from source)

<1> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2009, Bradstow School, 34 Dumpton Park Drive, Broadstairs, Kent: Interim Archaeological Report (Unpublished document). SKE17932.

<2> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2009, Bradstow School, 34 Dumpton Park Drive, Broadstairs, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE24842.