In the summer of 1947 The Canterbury Excavation Committee dug two trenches in a cellar on the south side of Burgate Street, west of its junction with Iron Bar Lane. The trenches were coded I and II. All the medieval levels had been destroyed, but deep Roman stratification remained and it was clear that the area was occupied throughout the Roman period.
Trench I extended the whole length of the cellar, but the southern part of it was not fully excavated as 3 later pits had destroyed the lower levels. The earliest feature found in the central and northern sections of the trench was a Belgic pit, possibly a soakaway, a thin gully led into it. The features and fill were sealed in the early Roman period by a thick deposit of hard pinkish yellow clay. Above this were floors and occupation levels belonging to a succession of buildings which fronted onto the NE side of the EW street found in 1947 in Area Y. No stone walls were found and the buildings were assumed to be entirely of timber. Because of the presence of a large pit a baulk was left between the northern and central parts of the trench and there tended to be a slight difference in the stratification of the two areas; they probably represent two different rooms of the same building.
Trench II, to the east of the north end of Trench I, was badly disturbed by pits and not excavated below the destruction-levels of the Roman building.
In April 1949 The Canterbury Excavation Committee excavated four trenches on the site of the current 51 Burgate Street, the dig was coded CXIV M.
In trench I and Ib (this became a single trench) Roman layers survived, including a pebbble floor, at the extreme north end of the trench. There was also a large pit and a badly damaged opus signinum floor. The opus signinum floor was covered by a layer of ash and demolition debris, dating to c. 350 AD.
All subsequent levels were post-Roman.

Ordnance Survey, 1873, 1st edition map of Canterbury 1873 (Map). SKE30447.

Frere, S. S and Stow, S., 1983, Excavations in the St. George's Street and Burgate Street Areas. (Monograph). SKE29967.