In late 2003 and early 2004 the Trust for Thanet Archaeology carried out a watching brief and an excavation. The earliest features found dated to the 12th or 13th century and consisted of a post hole, a pit and a cooking pit. The pit contained a large assemblage of pottery and animal bone. Material from the pit possibly derived from a building in the vicinity. The cooking pit was lined with clay and packed with flints. Above this was a truncated cooking vessel, another lining of clay and then another upright cooking vessel. The pots dated to the mid 13th century. this structure appeared to be a form of hearth or oven.

In the 14th to 15th century, a number of large pits were dug along similar axes on the site, and refilled with refuse. One rectangular pit had a post hole in the corner and could therefore have had some form of structure associated with it. These features appear to respect an area later used for a structure platform: in the 15th century a building was constructed on the site. The building was a timber framed house 8m x 10m. The walls and foundations of the buildings were preserved, consisting of chalk blocks and rubble. The building continued in use into the early 16th century, with a small square annexe added to the buildings southern and eastern side and two small rectangular out buildings both with cellars were constructed. A 14th century Portuguese coin (Dinheiro of Dinis I 1279 -1325) was found. In the 16th to early 17th century a fourth and a fifth structure were added to the complex. Two courses of brickwork were found but are thought to represent a collapsed wall. The fifth structure contained a brick built hearth. The area was quarried in the 19th century and it is thought that the buildings probably stood into the 18th century. (1-2)

<1> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2004, Land Adjacent to Lawn Cottage, East Northdown Farm, Margate, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE18201.

<2> Trust for Thanet Archaeology, 2005, Land Adjacent to Lawn Cottage, East Northdown Farm, Margate, Kent: Archaeological Report (Unpublished document). SKE18202.