A boot-shaped chalk-cut cave was observed in the section of the modern chalk pit in 1996. It was surveyed in July 2003. OSL dating samples were taken in August 2003. Further work was undertaken in 2004 and 2005 when radiocarbon dating samples were taken. The survey was expanded in 2006 and 2007. Further samples were radiocarbon dated in 2008.

The cave had been sectioned by the modern chalk pit and consisted of a shaft with a passage leading out from the base, perhaps c.1m high, running for five meters before opening into a chamber perhaps more than 2m high. Further passageways may have extended from the shaft. It was dug from a ground surface that was sealed beneath an Anglo-Saxon soil (dated via OSL), itself sealed below 1.5-2m of hillwash. It was dug using iron tools. The left wall and floor were worn smooth, suggesting repeated visits to the site. The chamber had filled with material including animal bones, perhaps washed in. The chamber filled independently of the shaft. Radiocarbon dating of a cattle bone from the shaft gave a date of 179 cal. AD. The cave has been interpreted as unlikely to have simply been a dene hole for a number of reasons and instead could have served a ritual purpose. (1)

<1> Colin A. Baker, 2010, Excavations of an Iron Age pit and Roman cave at Manston in the Isle of Thanet: A report of stratigraphic and archaeological investigations at Spratling Court Farm chalk quarry, Manston, Kent, 1996-2007 (Unpublished document). SKE24340.