During the construction of a new house in 2004 a middle Saxon pit was discovered that contained animal bone, an iron knife blade and a residual fragment of Romano-British tile. The pit is the first excavated evidence of middle Saxon occupation in Otford.

The pit was dated by radiomatric analysis to AD 650 - 790. The pit was 2.4 m x 1.1 m and 1.1 m deep, steep sided and roughly circular or oval. It contained a large quantioty of aniumal bone (cattle, sheep, pig and horse) and shells (oyster and edible snails).

The knife blade was V-sectioned with an angled back and whittled tang. The existing length was 76mm and the original length c. 90 mm.(1)

<1> Maureen Bennell, 2004, Land to the rear of 18-20 Tudor Crescent, Otford, Kent An Archaeological Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SKE13615.