Area B was a portion of the Grain-Shorne pipeline situated on a low hill immediately to the west of Upper Stoke excavated in 2009.

The later Roman field ditches were rectilinear but with little evidence of any earlier field system. It is possible that they were laid out earlier but did not silt up until later in the Roman period. In the corner of the eastern-most field there was a rectangular timber building 9m wide and at least 18m long with a possibly D-shaped plan. It had intermittent sill beam slots with shallow postholes and was divided into two rooms. There was little ceramic building material (tiles) found in the postholes suggesting the roof was thatch. A plano-convex forge base was found within the building. It was therefore possibly a small workshop. A large concentration of pottery was recovered from the building and adjacent features, much of it in one fabric. This possibly suggests that the building was associated with the production of this ware. The building burnt down in the late 3rd or early 4th century and was not replaced.

In the 4th century a large waterhole was dug and cut both the field system and the southern end of the building. It was 8.2m wide and 2m deep with stepped sides. It could have been a clay extraction pit that was reused as a waterhole. There were three postholes in the pit and these are interpreted as a possible tripod structure to assist with lifting clay or water from the hole. Over 7kg of pottery was found in one of the fills of the hole, including three near complete vessels, all of which dated to AD 270-300. The make up of this assemblage suggested the material was dumped from nearby pottery kilns. (1-2)

<1> Archaeology South-East, 2009, Archaeological investigations at Grain - Shorne pipeline, Isle of Grain, Kent: Phase 7 Post-excavation assessment and project design for publication [DRAFT] (Unpublished document). SKE15791.

<2> Archaeology South-East, 2012, Archaeological Investigations along the Isle of Grain – Shorne Pipeline Route, Hoo Peninsula, Kent: Publication Report (Unpublished document). SKE18113.