Possible settlement sited at TQ 6633 7097 from good quality air photographs. (1-5)

Archaeological work in advance of housing development at Hillside near Singlewell revealed several undatable ditches, probable remains of field and enclosure boundaries. A single small ditch of Roman date was also found. The main area of interest consisted of six related features containing pottery of Iron Age and Roman date possibly representing a Late Iron Age and Romano-British settlement site.

The work showed that most of the 6 acre site contained archaeological features, many extensive and extending beyond the site on the west, south-east and north sides. These included a series of enclosures, ditches, some structures, pits and postholes which range in date from 100BC to about AD 120. The upper east side of the site seems to have been reduced by ploughing and any shallow features seem to have been destroyed.

Features identified on the site include a droveway delimited by parallel ditches crossing the centre of the site (partially visible as cropmarks). This passed through a series of enclosures, probable fields. These features contained pottery which was dated to the first century AD. Enclosures were also found which contained quarry pits. One pit was a series of seven intercutting pits of Late Iron Age date. The south enclosure also contained a six-post structure which had been replaced by a four-post structure. One of the enclosures consisted of two linear ditches dug parallel, one within the other forming a 'double box'. A large collection of pottery of the first century AD was recovered from these two ditches, along with two brooches: one a large winged Hod Hill type (mid-1st century) and the other a Colchester type (late-1st century). Within this enclosure there were two post-built structures, these were thought to post date the enclosure, perhaps dating to the second or third century AD. (6)

<1> AP CUCAP AOI 87-90 (1966) (OS Card Reference). SKE34161.

<2> AP BMG 6-14 (1973) (OS Card Reference). SKE34158.

<3> AP BUD 67-8 (1973) (OS Card Reference). SKE34159.

<4> AP BWV6 4-5 (1976) (OS Card Reference). SKE34160.

<5> The Classification of cropmarks in Kent; A Report for MPP. RCHM APU (July 1989), list 47. (OS Card Reference). SKE50310.

<6> Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, 1997, Hillside, Gravesend 1994 - 95: An Outline Report on a Prehistoric and Romano-British site (Unpublished document). SKE6591.