An evaluation in 2009 of land at the site of the former Chambers Cycle Store in Rochester by means of five trenches found deposits associated with the Roman town wall bank.

The bank material included pottery dating to the mid second to mid third century. There was also a coin of mid to late third century date, perhaps suggesting a later date for the construction of the bank. There appeared to have been two phases of bank construction but this did not suggest that the bank pre-dated the wall. The upper surface of the bank contained a high percentage of Roman building material, including painted wall plaster, which supports the idea that a Roman building stood near to the site. The evaluation did not remove the bank deposits so no information was gained on pre-bank phases of activity on the site.

Later Roman activity on the site included an inhumation burial, an additional one to that located during works in the area in the 1970s. The similar alignment of the burials suggests they belong to the same burial group, perhaps a small cemetery established adjacent to the wall in the fourth century. This dating is based upon grave goods found in the earlier work. There were also a number of post-holes and some pits in the bank but as these were only filled with material from the bank it was not possible to date these features. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2009, Evaluation of Land at the site of the former Chambers Cycle Store, George lane, Rochester (Unpublished document). SKE15914.