In 1998 an evaluation and an excavation were carried out by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology on the Oaklands Nursery site at Cliffsend.The mid to late saxon period is represented on this site by two features and. One was a well defined pit which was oval/sub rectangular in plan with near vertical sides and a flat base, it had been backfilled with midden material. animal remains in the fill included mandible fragments of a boar and a complete fish skeleton. Ceramic finds consisted of two pot sherds, one of them Ipswich ware (AD750-850) fragments of two combs were also present. The second feature appear to be a shallow or possibly plough truncated ditch running south towards the ancient shore line. Its fill contained building materials, sandstone slabs and burnt daub with wattle impressions, and domestic refuse, although not in quantities indicative of back filling as a midden. The organic components consisted mainly of sea shells, mostly oyster, and animal bones including a disc from the spinal column of a whale. Ceramic evidence included seven sherds of mid-late Saxon wares, two in the estimated date range of AD775-850, and five in the range of 825-875. Iron fragments were present, also an iron latch lifter key. Another item of interest was a pierced and polished disc of Kimmeridge shale. These features indicate a mid-eighth – mid ninth century occupation of, presumably, a domestic settlement close to the shoreline. Sadly, bearing in mind the excellent preservation conditions, only deep cut features have survived the wave erosion and later ploughing. (information summarised from source)(1)

<1> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1998, Oaklands Nursery Site, Cliffsend, Ramsgate: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE17301.

<2> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 1998, The Oaklands Nursery Site Development, Cliffsend, Ramsgate; An Archaeological Excavation Report (Unpublished document). SKE17302.