East Farleigh Roman Building
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6.9 (5) |
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Details
| Location | East Farleigh Nr Maidstone, Kent |
| Type | Archaeological Dig |
| Managing Body | Maidstone Area Archaeological Grp |
Excavation of 3rd-4th century Roman Building. The foundations of a Roman building were discovered in the 1820s and 1830s and a measured plan is available in the literature. The site - a former hop garden - is now a flat grassed terrace surrounded by tree plantations. In 2005 a resistivity survey of the site (about 80m by 40m) indicated two approx 8m square features and other linear features of high resistivity indicating walls. This was confirmed by excavation - at least three rooms and a corridor have been found. Wall foundations are only about 20 to 30 cm beneath the surface and appear to have been truncated below floor level. A variety of types of brick and tile have been found, including a fragment of a box flue tile. This, together with finds of tufa, opus signinum and painted wall plaster indicate that this was a domestic building. A wide range of pottery types have been found and a few coins of mid 4th Century date.
User reviews
Oct 2009 UPDATE
Building 5 was partially excavated to reveal 2 central rooms surrounded by a corridor on three sides (14m x 12m overall).The building endeed its life as a kitchen ( oven,quernstones,cooking pots and motaria ) Painted and decorated external render and opsig floors indicate that the building may have had a grander start to life.The west end of building 3 (8m x 5m ) proved to be a workshop with a large hearth.
Excavations should recomence at the end of April 2010 until Qctober.
Recommendations
| Would you recommend it? | Yes |
Update 12th June 2009
Remains of 5 Roman buildings have now been discovered. Walls to 9 courses have been uncovered.
Overall length of the buildings so far is some 45 metres. Friendly and helpful group who are always willing to help newcomers.
The main building believed to be on the site has not yet been found so many new exciting discoveries could be found at any time.
Recommendations
| Would you recommend it? | Yes |
| What is your top bit of advice | Be prepared to work hard for first class results as the site being worked is on a slope. |
Update
The site has moved on from the description at the top. We are now uncovering building 5, and there are substantial sections of wall remaining in some sections. As we move up the hill away from the first building, the archaeology is deeper below the top soil. This means that it takes longer to uncover, but what we are finding is better preserved when we get down to it.
As to what the buildings are used for, the jury is still out. We know that we have at least two phases of building, with building 2 being demolished to make way for building 3. The structures do not follow the traditional patterns that we associate with Roman Villas, however new discoveries make us constantly re-evaluate. This makes for exciting digging.
Recommendations
| Would you recommend it? | Yes |
| What is your top bit of advice | Can often involve heavy digging, and requires an open mind |
great for beginners and experienced people
A friendly group of people, most of whom have quite a few years of experience, really good for beginners as everyone is willing to teach and explain the history of the site and excavation methods.
Recommendations
| Would you recommend it? | Yes |
| What is your top bit of advice | Bring loads of supplies as there are no shops nearby |
East Farleigh - Update
A good site to start your archaeological career with.
Recommendations
| Would you recommend it? | Yes |
| What is your top bit of advice | A Sunday only volunteers dig with good company. Training for beginners. |
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40 Bell Meadow, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 9ND 01622 762422 Opening times: Sundays from late April 2010 |
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"Building 5 was partially excavated to reveal 2 central rooms surrounded by a corridor on three si..." |