Monument record TR 34 SW 1699 - Bastion (No 14) of the late Roman Saxon Shore fort, located at the Gaol Lane site, Dover

(Summarised from publication)

During a series of extensive rescue excavations, ahead of development in Dover’s town centre, undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue unit a series of features relating to the late Roman Saxon Shore Fort were excavated and recorded. During these excavations a total of seven of the Shore Forts external bastions were located and excavated. This includes bastion 14 which was uncovered during excavations to the west of Gaol Lane, north of Queen Street and south of the façade of Market Hall (Gaol Lane Site).

The bastion was not part of the original construction of the fort wall, rather it was a later insertion. It was D shaped in plan, 6m wide and projecting 4m from the outside face of the fort wall. It had been constructed upon substantial foundations of roughly coursed chalk blocks and flints set in a foundation trench 0.65m deep beneath which were a number of wooden piles. The bottom two courses of the bastion were of mortared flints, this formed a basal plinth and the vertical face of the bastion wall was set back from this by 17cm. Above this plinth the bastion was constructed of flint with occasional greensand blocks interleaved with a course of tiles, mostly tegulae (five courses of flint then two of tile then five of flint). (1)

Part of this bastion was also located during excavations undertaken by Oxfor Archaeology in the late 1980's - early 1990's. (2)

<1> Brian Philp, The Discovery and Excavation of the Roman Shore Fort at Dover, Kent (Monograph). SKE32061.

<2> Wilkinson, D. R. P., 1995, Archaeologia Cantiana, Excavations on the White Cliffs Experience site, Dover, 1988-91. Vol. 114 (Article in serial). SKE31729.