A small excavation at the front of 15 Rochester Road was carried out by the Maidstone Area Archaeological Group in February-March 1984 in conjunction with work on the driveway to the property (1, 2). Fluvial sand/gravel terrace deposits were found between c. 14m OD and 17m OD, a thicker sequence than at the two main other nearby sites (Cuxton Rectory, and 21 Rochester Road), and with a slightly lower base-level. These deposits were likewise rich in Palaeolithic artefacts. More than 300 were recovered, including 20 handaxes (mostly pointed, with a few sub-cordate and sub-ovate), 18 flake-tools and 7 globular cores, the rest mostly being debitage (n=262). A stratigraphic hiatus was identified between layers 6 and 7 in the sequence, and it was suggested (on the basis of some statistical calculations) that this reflected a break between an underlying non-handaxe industry, and an overlying handaxe-dominated industry. This suggestion (made on the basis of quite low numbers of finds from limited volumes of excavated sediment towards the base of the sequence) remains unconfirmed, further excavation and recovery of greater quantities of finds would be required to validate it more robustly. The collection from the site was re-examined for the Medway Valley Palaeolithic Project in 2005 (3)

<1> Cruse RJ,, 1987, Cuxton. (Article in serial). SKE51537.

<2> Cruse, R.J., 1988, Further investigation of the Acheulian site at Cuxton (Article in serial). SKE13242.

<3> Wenban-Smith F. F., Bates M.R and Marshall G., 2007, Medway Valley Palaeolithic Project Final Report: The Palaeolithic Resource in the Medway Gravels (Kent) (Unpublished document). SKE29351.