Roman road running from Beneden to Canterbury via Ashford.

Roman road RR 130 (Margary), Benenden-Ashford-Canterbury, - For full details including bibliography and OS field investigator comments see Ordnance Survey Linear Archive file (RR 130), held at NMRC.

The Roman Road from Benenden-Canterbury was sectioned at NGR TQ84453485 where the road surface was found to be 2.3metres wide with some surviving wheel ruts in the surface. A second section at TQ84233487 revealed a width of 6 metres of road surface with slag and ironstone.

From Godmersham it follows an 'as the crow flies' route over hills to Thanington. The road could have crossed the river at Godmersham and joined the possible Roman road route on the east bank of the Great Stour (TR 05 SE 324). It could also have continued up the west bank of the river. There is a road shown crossing Godmersham Park, heading north to Chilham.

Geophysical survey undertaken by Stratascan in 2007 around Court Lodge Farm identified the precise course of the road in this area. (1)

An evaluation at Court Lodge Farm, Stubb's Cross in 2010 found an Iron Age hollow way, dated by pottery recovered from the fills, see TQ 93 NE 76. (2)

In 2010 and 2011 Wessex Archaeology conducted geophysical surveys of the Chilmington Green development area, the course of this road was detected between Stubbcross Wood and Snailswood Farmhouse. (3-4)

Wessex Archaeology, 2011, Land at Chilmington Green, Ashford, Kent: Geophysical Survey Report (Unpublished document). SKE17362.

<1> Stratascan, 2007, Geophysical Survey Report: Court Lodge Farm, Kingsnorth, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16444.

<2> Kent Archaeological Projects, 2011, A Post-Excavation Assessment Report for an Archaeological Investigation in advance of and during the excavation of the Ashford Southern Ring Main Water Pipeline at Stubbs Cross in Kent (Unpublished document). SKE17355.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2010, Chilmington Green, Ashford, Kent: A Programme of Archaeological Evaluation Comprising a Fieldwalking and Gradiometer Survey (Unpublished document). SKE16445.

<4> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, Land at Chilmington Green, Ashford, Kent: Geophysical Survey Report (Unpublished document). SKE17362.