Monument record TR 36 NE 553 - Early Neolithic pits, Westwood, Broadstairs

In 2005 Oxford Archaeology carried out an excavation on land east of Tesco Extra, Westwood. The earliest features found were a cluster of Early Neolithic pits. In total 48 sub-circular pits were found. While the pits at the southern end of the site were largely devoid of datable material, small amounts of early Neolithic pottery were found in three of these features. This may provide an indication of the date of the southern pit group as a whole. Pit 1421 was located close to the western limit of excavation. It waws very shallow, concave feature measuring 0.95m in diameter and 0.05m deep. The fill of pale silty sand yielded a fragment of a decorated bowl. A short distance to the south east, features 1465 and 1471 formed part of a complex of four intercutting pits. These pits were oval in form, measuring 0.5-1.3m in diameter and 0.17-0.68m in depth. All had mottled fills of sandy silt. Also lying within the southern pit group was pit 1524 which had been partially excavation during evaluation, producing early neolithic pottery and flintwork. Full excavation of the pit produced no further finds other than one piece of burnt flint. The feature measured 0.8m in diameter and was 0.66m deep, with a dark homogenous fill which appeared to represent an ash rich dump. A further 20 pits were excavated in this southern group while around 25 were left unexcavated. The excavated exampled measured up to 2.1m in diameter and 1.0m in depth. No finds were recovered other than a moderate amount of worked flint. Most of the pits had a bowl shaped profile and a single fill of dark brown silt. It is also notable that four of the pits were cut by ditches which have tentatively been dated to the Bronze Age. it thus seems possible that the southern pit group as a whole dates to the earlier Neolithic.

Early Neolithic pits such as those at Westwood are relatively common finds in much of the country, but only a few excavated examples are known from Kent. These pit clusters, lacking accompanying evidence for substantial buildings are usually taken as indicative if a relatively mobile way of life. The homogenous nature of the pit fills at Westwood suggests a relatively prompt backfilling of only one ot two episodes a feature shared by the majority of Neolithic pits in the country. Many researchers have linked the digging and infilling of pits with the marking of a particular place and the creation of an association between it and particular activities or people. In this context, the act of cutting the pits and placing objects in to them becomes a means of commemorating events such as feasts or periods of occupation. This model may apply t the occupation site at Westwood, with people living there on a temporary basis only, perhaps to cultivate cereals before moving on. With the exception of one pit which contained a significant amount of pottery and worked flint, the neolithic features at Westwood produced relatively few artefacts. Charred plant remains from the features were very sparse and no animal bone survived. Given this paucity of material, it is possible that the site never saw intense occupation, or was associated with only a limited range of activities. (1-2)

<1> Oxford Archaeology, 2005, Land Adjacent to Tesco Extra, Margate Road, Broadstairs, Kent: Post Excavation Assessment and Updated Project Design (Unpublished document). SKE17691.

<2> Oxford Archaeology, 2006, Prehistoric Activity at Westwood, Broadstairs: Draft Publication Report (Unpublished document). SKE17692.