Excavations carried out between 1998-2001 at the Saltwood Tunnel and Stone Farm Bridleway sites, by Canterbury Archaeology Trust and Wessex Archaeology, as part of the CTRL works.

4 trackways that probably originate in the Late Bronze Age appear to be developed by the Early Iron Age. By the Mid Roman period the trackways are developing into a hollow-ways, and as a result of this erosion a discontinuous metalled surface was laid down in the two trackways in the NW, by the settlement (TR 13 NE 217). The outer ditches demarking these trackways were recut along part of their length, with stone slabs being placed along the outer edges. This probably helped to consolidate the sides, and also to act as foundations for a dry-stone walls. During the ARC SFB 01 excavatio, a smaller hollow-way was noted immediately to the west of the eastern-most trackway. This second hollow-way was 5m wide and 1.25m deep. This was not recorded in the excavations to the north and south so may show where this hollow-way shifted its course at some point. During the Late Roman period the hollow-ways in the west appear to go out of use, with pits dug into them, and a oven encroching into one of them, but it is probable that they were either occasionally used or still prominent landscape features. By the early Saxon period the hollow-ways appear to have been infilled, but a short ditch following the line of the western-most hollow-way and the position of the landscape features of this period suggests that the line of the routes remained in use. The majority of the graves in the Saxon cemeteries (TR 13 NE 223) respect, and are aligned with the trackwyas, though some are cut into the trackways, possibly suggesting the trackways went out of use sometime towards the end of this period. (1)

Additional bibliography. (2-10)

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2002, Saltwood Tunnel Post Excavation Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE16613.

<2> Oxford Archaeological unit, 1997, North of Saltwood Tunnel, Kent Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SKE6875.

<3> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, North of Saltwood Tunnel, Kent. Detailed Archaeological Works Interim Report (Unpublished document). SKE6873.

<4> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, North of Saltwood Tunnel Kent (Unpublished document). SKE6883.

<5> OWA (Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture), 2006, Prehistoric Worked Flint from Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16489.

<6> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2005, The Early Prehistoric Pottery from Excavations Along Section 1 of the CTRL (Unpublished document). SKE16485.

<7> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2006, The Later Prehistoric Pottery from Excavations Along Section 1 of the CTRL (Unpublished document). SKE16486.

<8> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2005, The Late Iron Age and Roman Pottery from Excavations Along Section 1 of the CTRL (Unpublished document). SKE16488.

<9> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2006, Radiocarbon dates from Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE16490.

<10> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2006, Prehistoric Worked Flint from Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Unpublished document). SKE16596.