(summarised from publication)

During a series of rescue excavations undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit in Dover Town centre, a substantial underground Roman well which was located within the walls of, and would have served, the Classis Britannica fort, was excavated and recorded. Three main elements of the well were identified, including a staircase which consisted of 14 steps cut into the natural chalk.

The upper two steps had been largely destroyed by a later Medieval pits. Each step consisted of a tread which was largely flat and measured between 1.45-1.5m in length and 20-27cm in width, and a rise of between 11 and 15cm. The treads were covered with a thin band of organic matter which probably represents the remains of (now rotted) wooden planks. It is likely that the whole staircase would have been boxed in with timber, though no iron nails were located thus suggesting that they were either fixed with wooden dowels or merely relied on the weight of the side walls to hold in place. (1)

<1> Brian Philp, 2014, Discoveries and Excavations Across Kent, 1970-2014 (Monograph). SKE32015.