Elements of a Roman structure, mainly masonry walls, robber trenches and floors were located in trenches during an archaeological evaluation on a plot of land at Florence Road in 2004. The earliest features encountered comprised a series of stone structures, soil layers and linear features. It was not possible to be precise as to the stratigraphic and chronological relationships, but roof-tile, floor tile,and in situ box flue-tile strongly indicated a Roman date for much of the archaeological sequence. (1) May wish to see TQ 75 NE 38 relating to foundations of a Roman building cut through while a drain was being dug at the junction of Bower Lane and Florence Road in 1893.


Further excavations at 98-9 Florence Road. Surface stone with tile, pottery, bone, slag, painted wall plaster and a coin found in trench 1. All date from the Roman period. Roman pottery includes shers from Dragendorff 28 in Oxfordshire colour-coated ware, a necked jar, in white-slipped variant ware, and two sherds of Portchester D (probably C4th). East Gaulish Samian Mortarium (no later AD 250-300). Two probable tesserae. Animal bone contains pig and sheep fragments. Roman iron nails. Coin is a nummus of the House of Constantine date to AD 330-5. C19th building material, glass, clay bottles and pottery found above this. A feature (cut) was found in trench 2, which contained 2 pieces of medieval peg tile. (2)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological trust, 2004, An archaeological evaluation of the Former ADT building site, Florence Road, Maidstone (Unpublished document). SKE13146.

<2> Archaeology South-East, 2008, Archaeological evaluation at 98-99 Florence Road, Maidstone. (Unpublished document). SKE13550.