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 occupied by a succession of timber or stone structures, in all 8 individual building plots were identified and five of these were examined in detail. Plot G was a small plot between E and H and contained a succession of ten individual buildings the first of which was building 40 which may be dated to c. 1150-1225.


Building 40 was not fully exposed; the south eastern end of the building was left unexcavated. The building was subsequently incorporated into building 41 which was situated on the adjacent plot E. it consisted of a thick rammed chalk floor delimited by carefully laid horizontal planking, supported, near the west corner, by two internal vertical rectangular posts. Both this building and building 41 were destroyed by a fire leading to scorching of the floor surfaces and charring of the associated timbers. A layer of ashy loam over the floor appears to represent a demolition level but it produced no finds. (1)

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