Snodland High Street

Project type: Excavation

Previous work
The known remains of the Roman villa at Snodland are situated on the west bank of the River Medway, commanding extensive views over the floodplains to the east. The site is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and has been known about for over a hundred years. Several excavations have taken place during this time, revealing a substantial main villa building, with ranges, floors, wall plaster and hypocaust remains, as well as a few outbuildings. In September 2006 geotechnical investigations carried out on an adjacent sports field to the northwest, uncovered a Romano-British coin hoard, comprising c.3,600 mid 4th century bronze coins.

ASE excavations
Between February and July 2008, in advance of further development, Archaeology South-East undertook excavations across the site, revealing previously unknown Romano-British deposits, including the partially exposed remains of a building. This structure presented a minimum of five rooms, possibly orientated around an open courtyard area. However, the footprint of the building complex revealed continued beyond the designated area of excavation to the east, where it was almost certainly truncated by modern services, and the course of a railway line. The depth of the surviving footings and extensive remains of tile would suggest that the building once comprised a single storey structure, complete with tiled roof, whilst datable artefacts recovered from the building suggest that it once formed a contemporary and integral part of the broader 2nd-4th century villa complex.  

Interestingly, the surviving deposits revealed a comprehensive phase of demolition, and associated material requisition undertaken during the Romano-British period itself. The grounds of the building seem to have been delineated by a large enclosure ditch and within this area a number of interesting features were recorded, including postholes and pits, a cremation, a pond and a substantial preserved wall footing. Beyond the enclosure ditch to the west, more pits, and gullies were recorded, indicating farming and small scale industrial activity as well as a number of geometrically orientated ditches, indicative of a co-axial field system.

To the south of the building, adjacent to the coin hoard, and defined within a network of intercutting ditches, four inhumation burials were recorded,  two with associated  Romano-British ceramic grave goods. Two baby burials were also identified within the building, one of which had been placed on a complete piece of Roman tegula (flat ceramic roofing tiles). Another inhumation was recorded close by, and had been buried in a grave partially lined with large pieces of Romano-British tile.

A broad number of finds were recovered from the site, including brooches, rings, hairpins, tweezers, beads, glass and coins, as well as the more ubiquitous ceramic, bone, and iron material. Many of the finds are dated to the 3rd and 4th centuries, although some evidence of earlier activity has been recorded. Most notably a copper alloy La Tene Brooch, of Late Iron Age to 1st century origin, as well as two Colchester two piece brooches dating to the 1st century.

Open Day
On Tuesday 24th June Archaeology South-East, in conjunction with Kent County Council's Heritage & Conservation Group, opened the excavation to the public, local residents and archaeological groups. Guided site tours and handling sessions with objects and environmental remains took place throughout the day.

Project Officer: Clive Meaton
Client: CgMs - Smurfit Kappa
Project type: Excavation