An archaeological watching brief during the machine excavation of three new drainage trenches around the exterior of the church and two new soakaway pits at the end of two drainage trenches,further out in the churchyard. Expected evidence of extensive burial was revealed in both the soakaway pits overlying and cutting into the natural subsoil. In soakway pit SP1, the burials had removed the southeast end of a cellared medieval building, portions of which form part of the present northern churchyard boundary wall. In Drainage Trench A, the location of a post medieval brick wall and a medieval masonry wall suggest the location of structures against the north side of the wall, whilst Drain Trench B exposed the remains of a large post medieval brick tomb.

Each of the three trenches was arranged with a series of spur trenches. During the recording of the spur trenches a collection of broken floor tile fragments were retrieved from the graveyard soils abutting the chancel's east wall foundation. Closer inspection of the walling of the chancel's east wall and the north aisle's north wall revealed more fragments of broken floor tiles reused within its fabric. Some of the fragments, despite them all being glazed on their upper surface, had incised decoration highlighted in different colours. These clearly conform to a style of floor tile known as 'Clowes Wood' type tile.
The two most complete pieces of tile clearly represent two different styles of flooring due to the incised design on each fragment of tile. One tile has a deep red background with the top of the head of a bird with a striking representation of its eye in a paler yellow/brown slip, whilst the other has a mid green/brown background with two opposing unequal curving arch's also highlighted in a paler slip, possibly representing a floaral pattern or forming part of a multi-tile geometric design. Until the discovery of these tile fragments, Clowes Wood tiles were only known from three other sites, all in east Kent. From all three sites, tiles have been recorded either insitu or from demolition debris deposits associated with major rebuilds of these religious establishments. In all of the sites the tiles are generally recovered from deposits dating between c.A.D.1165 and A.D1185, which falls during a period of major re-embellishment work at St Nicholas's Chruch. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2005, An archaeological watching brief during groundworks associated with the construction of new drainage trenching and two new soakaway pits in the churchyard of St. Nicholas Church, New Romney, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE15822.