As part of a programme of archaeological investigations along the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Union Railways (South) Ltd (URS) commissioned the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) to undertake an evaluation in a field to the west of Station Road, opposite Parsonage Farm. The site was located to the south of the M20, approximately 5km north-west of the centre of Ashford, Kent.

In the southern part of the site the stone foundations of a rectangular building were found, close to the bank of a relict river. The full extent of the structure was not revealed, although it was possible to postulate the presence of an internal earth floor, a hearth and an external cobbled surface. Pottery and roof tiles from these deposits indicated that the structure was of medieval date.

To the north of the building a substantial artificial channel, possibly a moat, was recorded. The dumped backfills contained medieval roof tiles which might have been derived from the demolition of the nearby structure. Similar dumps of roof tile were found in the relict river channel, adjacent to the building. To the north-west of the medieval building was a group of intercutting pits, one of which produced medieval pottery and roof tiles. In the same area were other cut features, one of which also produced quantities of medieval roof tiles. In the eastern part of the site, at some distance from the medieval building, was a pit containing relatively unabraded fragments of medieval pottery, and two parallel ditches or gullies, one of which also produced medieval pottery. (1)

Subsequent to this evaluation, MoLAS was commissioned by URS to undertake detailed archaeological investigations at Parsonage Farm in 1998-99. The site consisted of a single area of excavation 110m by 130m overall, to the west of Station Road (also called Watery Lane). The approximate centre of the site was at NGR TQ 9805 4605. The area excavated totalled 0.9ha. The ground sloped gently down from north to south.

The site had three phases of occupation in the medieval period. The earliest dated to the late 12th century and consisted of a timber building with an associated ditch located close to the eastern stream on the site. In the late 12th or early 13th centuries the site was redeveloped. A large timber hall, 18m x 7m, with four bays, was built on the site. The northern end of the building was partitioned off and was probably the service end of the building. Additional buildings were located to the rear of the hall. The main hall was modified during its use with a masonry cross-wing constructed at the southern end of the building. The third phase of medieval activity occurred in the middle of the 13th century, or slightly later, when the hall was completely rebuilt. An aisled structure was constructed, 21.5m x 9.8m in size. The service bay may have been separated from the rest of the hall by a narrow passageway. At this time the streams on the site were modified to form a moat around the entire site. The ancillary buildings were also rebuilt at this time. The main building was further modified and expanded during its use during this third phase of activity. The scale of the site indicates that it was a high status site from Phase 2 onwards. Occupation continued into the 14th century and may have been as late as AD 1380. It is thought that the site was that of the rectory of Westwell. Historical records of this rectory indicate that it was appropriated to Canterbury Cathedral in 1397. After this date, the land was leased to farmers and the site was perhaps unoccupied until the current Parsonage Farm was built in the 16th century. The buildings were demolished probably in the late 14th century. The moat apparently survived as an earthwork until the 1960s. (2-5)

<1> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1997, West of Station Road, Parsonage Farm An Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE6966.

<2> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1999, Parsonage Farm Archaeological Excavation Interim Report (Unpublished document). SKE6967.

<3> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 2001, Area 430 Parsonage Farm (ARC PFM 98): Post-Excavation Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE16479.

<4> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2005, The Medieval Pottery from Excavations Along Section 1 of the CTRL (Unpublished document). SKE16557.

<5> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2006, The medieval moated site at Parsonage Farm, Westwell, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE25195.