An evaluation was undertaken in advance of a proposed residential development located in the former gardens of Starr Place. The evaluation was implemented in May 1991 and the site code was SP91.

In trench A, Roman street metalling was discovered at 1.2m below the existing ground surface and in trench B the metalling was encountered at 1.5m below the existing ground surface. Both edges of the street were exposed, indicating a total road width c.5m. Also, shallow scoops either side of the street (filled with deposits of road wash) indicated the position of side drains of approximately 0.6m wide. Trench A was excavated to the level of natural brickearth NE of the Roman street, but metalling was not removed. One or possibly two remetallings of the street were in evidence in the sides of later features found cutting the road's alignment.

Trench B was not excavated to the natural brickearth. Weathered brickearth (interpreted as a deliberate dump) sealed earlier Roman deposits.
It capped the SW road drain and overlaid road metalling, which indicated that when the dump of brickearth was deposited, the street had become disused. Two late Roman pits were exposed, containing 4th century pottery and a number of metal objects, including a coin of Valentian I (367-375 AD). These pits cut the dump of brickearth and both appeared to have been used for the disposal of domestic rubbish and therefore were interpreted as possibly indicating the presence of occupation outside the town wall of Roman Canterbury in the 4th century AD. The earlier horizon was only exposed in limited areas of the trench, but a well-stratified sequence of layers of dark grey clay interleaved with bands of carbon and burnt clay was observed in the sides of deeply cut later features. Overall, these deposits produced a small quantity of 'waster' pottery sherds.

Remnants of a Roman pottery kiln with two firing chambers separated by a central dividing wall was located at the south-western end of trench B.
The kiln had been largely removed by a late Medieval pit, and its NE end lay outside the area of excavation. However, its plan could be deduced from the surviving fabric, which together with its general dimensions bore a marked similarity to a kiln located in 1978 at no 26, North Lane. A small assemblage of pottery was found in association with the kiln, as well as other artefacts recovered from the general horizon; this dating evidence indicated that the kiln was constructed in the early to mid 2nd century AD, with industrial occupation terminating late in that century. The kiln and its fills was then sealed by the aforementioned dump of weathered brickearth.

The latest Roman horizon was overlaid by a deposit of brown garden loam. The development of this deposit was interpreted as either partly attributable to agricultural activity in the post-Roman period, or more likely, a bi-product of nineteenth-century garden landscaping. Five pits containing late 12th to 14th century pottery and a brick-lined cess tank dated to the 19th century were excavated within the deposit of garden loam. The evidence from the evaluation's excavations suggested the presence of an early suburb of Roman Canterbury, laid out with a regular pattern of gravel-paved streets providing access to industrial working areas. The suburb was possibly established in the early 2nd century AD, or a little earlier, but was probably disused by the time that the town defences were constructed in AD 270-290, when an inhumation cemetery(s) was founded in the area. The minor Roman road located during the evaluation was interpreted as perhaps forming part of a block of insulae in the NE half of this suburb, with a concentration of kilns known to exist SW of the minor road being interpreted as possibly part of a small potting factory located within one insula of this area of the suburb.

During an evaluation at the site in 2000-2001, 3 evaluation trenches were excavated, measuring between 1-1.6m deep. Trench 1 was 20m by 1m, trench 3 was 8 by 1.6m, whilst trench 4 was a small test slot. A fourth trench, 2, was not excavated as it became clear it was not necessary.

A Roman gravel surface was observed in the cut of a sewer pipe, and a possible late Roman timber building, destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt, was recorded. Trench 3 produced further evidence of Roman surfaces sealed. Trench 4 was replaced by a test slot near to the access route entering the site, and showed that archaeological deposits are also present in this area 46cm below the modern ground surface. Trenches A and B, cut by the Trust in 1991, were re-examined; the presence of the probable Roman street, pottery kiln and further spreads of possible gravel yard surfaces was confirmed, together with evidence for a substantial sequence of Roman deposits, possibly of domestic origin, which extended to a depth of at least 2.44m. In these trenches, archaeological deposits are again sealed by a substantial thickness of garden soil, beginning some 1.54m. From the top of the trench.

The possible Roman structure was characterised by a thick layer of clay thought to have been a floor which was burnt in situ. The layer had an L-shaped depression along the margin, thought to be a hollow resulting from the weight of a sill beam resting on the floor. Burnt daub with wattle impressions (or stake and withie impressions) was associated with the burnt structure, and has been potentially interpreted as a collapsed and burnt wall formed of wattle and daub. A linear feature cut into the area of the building which was destroyed by fire has been suggested to represent a later beam slot, implying that the building was rebuilt or repaired following the destruction event.

Roman intercutting pit features were also identified at the site. These comprised 4 pit features with diameters between 0.60-0.93m and depths of between 0.28-0.45m.

Other features at the site dating from the Roman period include a metalled gravel surface, layers of dark loam associated with Roman pottery, a gully/ditch aligned SE-NW and measuring 43-62cm in width, a possible pit 60cm in diameter, floor surfaces, occupation deposits and layers including cess, a post-hole around 60cm in diameter (containing 1st-2nd century AD pottery), an undated occupation surface associated with Roman pottery, metalled gravel layers associated with a Roman road, and a possible gravel courtyard/working surface. One of the gravel surfaces was associated with some possible burnt bone.
The floor surfaces and associated occupation deposits have been interpreted as being associated with possible further Roman building at the site.

Finds associated with features at the site include sherds of Roman pottery dating to the 1st-4th century AD, a coin of Valens dating to 367-75 AD, minted in Lyons and bearing the inscription "Securitas Reipvblicae", 134 daub fragments associated with the structure, chaff-tempered brick, and 33 fragments of Roman brick and tile.

The Roman features are sealed by an abandonment layer. Later features at the site include medieval buildings (TR 15 NW 2321). Undated features at the site include layers containing carbon fragments, suggesting the deposition of material from a kiln or hearth. (2)

<1> Bennett, P., 1992, Starr Place, St Dunstan's, Canterbury (Article in serial). SKE30811.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, Archaelogical Evaluation at Starr Place, Canterbury. November 2000-February 2001, Field Report (Excavation archive). SKE30810.