Prior to the construction of Lullingstone House an excavation was undertaken in St John's Lane. The work was carried out in Autumn 1986.

Late Roman/Anglo-Saxon oven bases survived and sat directly over the destruction deposits of a large Roman timber-framed building, only part of which was uncovered during this excavation. It is thought to have been constructed in the early 2nd century AD and extensively altered during the span in which it stood. Two infant burials were also uncovered from beneath the floor of the building. (1)

A desk-based assessment of a nearby property in 2013 suggested that the oven bases may have been part of the Roman timber framed building. The report suggests that one of the Roman floor layers sealed one of the oven pits, and that these features represented the location of the house's kitchen. (2)

<1> Blockley, P., 1988, St John's Lane (Article in serial). SKE30492.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust Ltd., ST JOHN’S LANE CANTERBURY KENT Provisional desk-based assessment (Unpublished document). SKE55784.