Monument record TR 06 SW 281 - Possible sightings of Roman Watling Street in Ospringe

Summary

At two points in Ospringe village, both of them around twenty metres south of the present day A2 trunk road (Ospringe Street) features composed of large shaped flints tightly packed together to form a flat surface, were tentatively identified as sections of the original Roman Watling Street.

Location

Grid reference TR 0043 6082 (point)
Map sheet TR06SW
County KENT
District SWALE, KENT
Civil Parish OSPRINGE, SWALE, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

These excavations took place as part of a research project being carried out in the Ospringe area by the Faversham Society Archaeological Research Group into prehistoric and early medieval human activity. K63/T was a long narrow trench cutting a north- south section through the raised back garden of 9, Ospringe Street. K44 was a small but deep pit just south west of the Maison Dieu Museum, in the back garden of 21 Ospringe Street. With K63?T, the northern end of the trench, closest to the new extension to the house, was truncated but a still visibly lens shaped flint and chalk block feature was revealed. This tapered southwards curving upwards to give a shallow gully and south of that was a large ditch which could not be fully excavated within the constraints of the excavation. In K44, around 150 metres to the west, a similar surface of large flints with oyster shell poked into the cracks was observed at a depth of 1.3 metres. In both cases, the flint structure was built to a high standard. (1)


<1> Faversham Society Archaeological Research Group, 2012, Understanding Ospringe Project 2008-9 and 2011 (Unpublished document). SKE17255.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Unpublished document: Faversham Society Archaeological Research Group. 2012. Understanding Ospringe Project 2008-9 and 2011.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • Intrusive Event: Understanding Ospringe project (EKE11520)

Record last edited

Feb 2 2012 2:37PM