In April 1952 The Canterbury Excavation Committee dug a single trench on the site of the current 12 Rose Lane. The trench was coded CXXI EXV and revealed a portion of a Roman building (R11).
The remains consisted of the narrow flint footings of two EW timber walls. Within these were found Samian and London ware pottery sherds. Traces of a hard gravel floor were found at the north end of the trench area; and at a slightly higher level at the south end there was a thick loam floor flecked with earth and containing fragments of plaster. This overlay a make-up layer beneath which was first a deposit of occupation-material which in turn overlay a layer of Belgic loam.

In 1980 The Canterbury Archaeological Trust excavated upon the site of the present 1-2 Marlowe Arcade prior to redevelopment. The sitecode was MIV and the work was undertaken prior to development.

At some time in the early second century a timber building was constructed on the site with a yard to the north west, (Building MIV) it is not known how long this building remained in use, although it is thought to be relatively short. The building was then demolished and rebuilt about c. AD 175 and was in use until about c. 300/320.

A further, masonry, building was constructed to the south east in the mid second century AD (R12), it was subsequently robbed for stone and then rebuilt in the latter part of the second century.

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

Blockley, K., Blockley, M., Blockley, P., Frere, S. and Stow, S., 1995, Excavations in the Marlowe Car Park and Surrounding Areas. Part 1: The Excavated Sites (Monograph). SKE29969.