During excavations undertaken by Canterbury Archaeological Trust, ahead of the rebuilding of the Townwall Street filling Station, Dover, a complex series of stratified archaeological deposits were revealed representing activity at the site between the early Medieval period and later post medieval periods. Period 1; 1175-1300 is the first time intensive colonisation of the site began (before had been only superficial activity within the area; Period 0). A series of building plots was established, each occupies by a succession of timber or stone structures, in all 8 individual building plots were identified and five of these were examined in detail. Buildings 1 and 41 were located in plot E at the southern end of the site these are the first two in a series of nine buildings located at this part of the site.

Building 33 was built on a dump of soil and beach shingle probably forming a yard associated with building 37. It consists of a single chalk floor overlain by a thin occupation layer. There is a roughly rectangular projection to the floor on the north-west side, this probably relates to a porch. A timber beam slot is present on the south eastern side which represents the location of the outer wall of this building. There are traces of a centrally located hearth. In the north west corner a small shallow pit contained the remains of a newly born infant. The remains are of a full term foetal or newly born, it is possible that the child was still born or died shortly after birth. The burial of infants under the floors of building which continued to be occupies is rare. It may have been the case that the mother or parents may have been too poor to bury the child in the nearby St. James' church yard or the infant may have dies before it was baptised. Building 35 was built over building 33 on soil and shingle dumps, and occupied approximately the same area. It consisted of a succession of patchy rammed chalk floors interleaved with thin occupation layers.

A wide variety of small finds were located in association with these two buildings; they include a large quantity of pottery, fish and animal remains and iron implements. (1)

<1> Keith Parfitt, Barry Corke and John Cotter, 2006, Townwall Street, Dover: Excavations 1996 (Monograph). SKE31840.