During a series of extensive rescue excavations, ahead of development in Dover’s town centre undertaken by Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit a number of small, early Roman ditches were recorded running beneath the walls of the ‘Painted House’. They were the earliest features recorded at the site and none could be examined in any great detail due to the presence of overlying Roman masonry. A 1.85m length of ditch was traced running north-south at the northern end of the site

The ditch was located close to another (C1) and cut it, as well as the natural brick earth and pre-Roman topsoil, on its western side. It was 0.8m deep and approximately 1m wide and was filled with a mottled orange clay containing pieced of chalk and tufa alongside s single beaker sherd. (1)

<1> Philp, B, 1989, The Roman House with Bacchic Murals at Dover (Monograph). SKE24004.