In April and August 1950 The Canterbury Excavation Committtee dug 11 trenches on the site of the former 49-51 Burgate (now 8-13 Longmarket)
Trenches YI and YV revealed an EW Roman street running at right angles to a NS street located in 1949. The 1950 street appears to be oriented towards the West Gate; the metalling was 1.37m thick. The road overlay a layer of loam beneath which was a layer of Belgic plough soil Remains of Roman timber buildings were also seen, fronting the street on its south side. A metalled lane was also found, running south at right angles to the main Roman street, dividing the insula; this was too narrow to be a principal street, but had been maintained for a considerable period. (1-2)

In a later desk-based assessment of the site, the finds from the 1950 excavation are described as "part of a Roman street… overlaying the pre- or early Roman ground surface. A narrower gravel lane was identified running south-west… (which was) probably in use from c. AD 150 to a little after AD 250. A largely robbed out stone-walled building lay to the north-west of this lane and a sequence of timber buildings to its south-east. A possible beam slot in the surface of... (the street) suggested that the latter building may have encroached onto the line of the main street in the late Roman period" (from the original report, 3).

<1> Frere, S. S and Stow, S., 1983, Excavations in the St. George's Street and Burgate Street Areas. (Monograph). SKE29967.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1873, 1st edition map of Canterbury 1873 (Map). SKE30447.

<3> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, 6-20 Longmarket & 48-51 Burgate, Canterbury: Archaeological Desk Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE29954.