Between 1953 and 1955 a number of trenches were cut outside the city wall and beyond the Stour on the NW side of Whitehall Road. The sitecodes were CXXIV, CXXV and CXXVI Site W. The excavations were undertaken by The Canterbury Excavation Committee prior to the construction of a new road (Rheims Way) and housing.

Trench WIV, west of the other trenches (see below), revealed secondary Neolithic, Belgic and Roman occupation, including a hut spanning the transition into Romano-British times. Scattered Belgic cremation burials were traced in this area: the ashes were inurned in native butt beakers and in one grave a second beaker accompanied the burial. Several lengths of a Belgic Ditch were traced running on a north-west by south-east alignment to the north-east side of the occupation material. This record relates to a smaller ditch running on a north-east by south-west axis within the area of occupation to the south-west of the main ditch.

Trenches WI-III encountered the Roman Watling Street as it ascended the valley-side from the crossing of the Stour towards Rochester. Artefacts found suggested that it had been built very soon after the conquest, for nothing Roman lay below the metalling. In trenches WI and WIII the street lay directly on the natural subsoil and this suggests that normally the topsoil was cleared prior to construction.

In WII however, the road overlay a thick Belgic occupation with traces of a building occupying a hollow in the natural brickearth. Two levels of Roman timber buildings bordering the NE side of the street were found in WI; in the second century there seems to have been a suburb here which may have extended northwards towards the tile and pottery kilns which were discovered near St Stephens Road by F. Jenkins. At the time of discovery such a building was unparalleled in Iron Age contexts. The building was timber-framed, with insersects plugged with daub.

Frere, S., Bennett, P., Rady, J., Stow, S., 1987, Excavations Intra- and Extra-mural Sites 1949-55 and 1980-84 (Monograph). SKE29800.