During the East Kent Access Route excavations (2009-2011) a substantial Roman trackway was discovered running north-west to south-east through zone 20. The trackway was 3m wide, curved and metalled. It comprised a well maintained metalled surface of small rounded flint nodules and gravel and It contained well defined wheel-ruts some 1.2m apart. The surface appears to have been laid within an existing hollow way. There were also a number of roadside ditches. The trackway was at the centre of a settlement that included sunken-feature buildings, a field system, enclosure and burials. It may have slightly pre-dated the settlement activity to either side. Excavations in zone 29 confirmed that the trackway and settlement continued to the higher ground to the north-west and further south the track may have joined with another running north-south in zone 20A. (information summarised from source) (1-2)

Parts of the trackway of Roman date mentioned above were visible as a sub surface deposit in NMR 26608/28 06-APR-2010. This feature was mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (3)

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, East Kent Access (Phase II), Thanet, Kent: Post-Excavation Assessment Volume 1 (Unpublished document). SKE29279.

<2> Andrews et al, 2015, Digging The Gateway: Archaeological Landscapes of South Thanet. The Archaeology of East Kent Access (Phase III) Vol 1: The sites (Monograph). SKE55517.

<3> Historic England Archive, 1920-2024, Historic England Archive Specialist oblique aerial photographs, NMR 26608/28 06-APR-2010 (Archive). SKE57106.