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 3 (c. 1550-1780) represents an increase in activity across the site, a series of buildings was constructed along Clarence Street (B47-51 and B53) with a cellared structure further to the south-east (B46). Building 49 is an almost square building, which fronted the south-east side of Clarence Street in the west corner of plot F and also extended across plot D (the path) and abutted building 44.

The outer walls are of chalk blocks with corners of red brick in a hard cream-grey lime mortar which delimited a single basemented room with internal dimensions of 5.35m by 5.50m. A central square structure of mortared flint and greensand contained a raised brick built furnace, with an entrance on the south east side. The base of the furnace stood on soil and rubble make up layers retained by the enclosing walls. A passage of 1.25-1.4m wide existed between the central furnace and the outer walls, where there was an uneven and heavily worn floor sealed by a thin layer of coal dust. On the south east side the original passage floor was covered by a raised platform about 0.5m high surfaced with flint, sandstone and granite rubble in clay. A large iron trough or taken had been re-used and incorporated into this platform in the south east corner. This platform probably supported a set of access steps leading from the doorway in the south east wall. Dumps of black ash, slag and coal fragments abutted the north-east and north-west edges of the platform, these are probably accumulated rake outs from the furnace. (1)

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