An evaluation was commissioned by Christ Church College to assess any archaeological remains prior to redevelopment of an area of land for the proposed construction of two new teaching blocks (now the Information Technology Building) within the grounds of Christ Church College.
This work was carried out in December 1985 and January 1986. The sitecode was CCC1; plus a watching brief was undertaken in January 1986 during the laying of foundations for a new Information Technology building at Christ Church College. The site code CCC III.

An evaluation trench was excavated within the location given above and produced archaeological evidence for occupation of the area under investigation in the middle Saxon period. A scatter of pits was discovered of eighth to ninth century date, many containing metalworking debris. Some of the pits also contained important ceramic assemblages of the middle Anglo-Saxon period including a number of imported boss-decorated Ipswich wares. A number of medieval and post-medieval pits and boundary ditches were also uncovered during the course of the evaluation.

Early medieval period (AD 1050-1250): deposits of loam, possibly agricultural soil, were cut by gullies dating from the mid to late 11th century AD Medieval (St Augustine's Abbey service buildings): evaluation excavations indicated that the northern area of the abbey complex was open ground during the medieval period. 10 fragments of animal bone were also recovered from the trench.

"Site 6 produced two cooking pot profiles in shell-tempered local wares of c. 1150-1200. One of these is virtually complete; both merit publication." (3)

The watching brief produced evidence for occupation of the area in the middle Saxon period. A scatter of c. 20 to 30 pits of 8th to 9th century date were observed and recorded, with many containing metalworking debris. A dozen or so of the pits also contained important ceramic assemblages of the middle Saxon period. A number of Medieval and post-Medieval pits and boundary ditches were also discovered and recorded during the course of the watching brief.

The ceramic assemblages included a small number of Ipswich ware sherds and imported sherds.
1 Sherd of Roman pottery is recorded from this site, but no further information on sherd or context is available.

9,335 gms/121 items of ironworking debris found:
"A considerable volume of ironworking debris was retrieved from the excavations conducted between 1983 and 1995. Broadly catalogued as slag, this material actually consists of a variety of industrial elements, which include smelting and smithing slag, cinder, hearth bottom, hearth lining and fuel ash slag, as well as hammerscale." (4)

Worked bone was also found (3 and 4).

"Anglo - Saxon occupation in the area appears to have had its origins in the early seventh century, though it may predate the arrival of Augustine and his mission. Material dating to the seventh century has been produced, but it is not until the period A.D. 750 to 850 that substantial, and wide spread, occupation is revealed. Evidence is spread across most of the campus area, having been found on all seventeen sites; to date at least one hundred and fifty waste pits of the period have been identified. The pits contain the evidence for large scale iron working and other craft activities, but also for domestic occupation, an indication that habitation accompanied the industrial activities undertaken at the site. The settlement appears similar to those at Barking (Webster and Bakehouse 1991:88-94), Brandon (Suffolk) (Carr et al. 1988), and Jarrow (Cramp 1969), where monastic involvement in production and trade has been identified. At St Augustine’s this involvement is reinforced by evidence from one of the early charters associated with the Abbey (Kelly 1995, no. 8)." (3)

"The evidence suggests that the settlement expanded throughout the eighth century to reach its zenith in ninth century. The college campus may lie on the perimeter of a large Anglo-Saxon settlement site called Nordholm, first referred to in 1283 and still represented by the modern North Holmes Road which forms the northern boundary to the college complex." (4)

Bennett, P., 1987, Christ Church College (Article in serial). SKE30543.

<3> Hicks, Martin and Houliston, Mark, 1999, Archaeological Excavations at Canterbury Christ Church College. Assessment report on excavations conducted between 1983-1996 (Unpublished document). SKE31574.

<4> Hicks, Martin, 1996, Archaeological Excavations at Canterbury Christ Church College. Assessment Report on Excavations conducted between 1983-1995 (Unpublished document). SKE31570.