Mr. Roach Smith says, "There can be no doubt of the foundations being those of a rather extensive Roman building—upon which the later edifices were built."
The concrete floor found at different parts of the nave and in the southern porticus is apparently Roman or Saxon; the lower portion of the walls of the same porticus are also faced with early concrete regularly and evenly laid. The fact of the existing chancel-wall being placed on an interior line ten inches within the foundation of Roman tile seems to me so extraordinary that it has been suggested that the foundations are at this point of double thickness: in which case the existing wall would have been placed in the middle of them; and thus the foundations of the chancel would form part of the very oldest building.
   Prudence would here bid me stop; but, not being an expert, I may be suffered to hazard some conjectures, subject to correction from the opinions of cleverer men, and to evidence that may be derived from further excavations.
   I would picture to myself a small Roman church, possibly with other buildings adjacent. These would fall

into partial ruin after the evacuation of Britain. One portion of these ruins (perhaps the southern porticus) might be restored by Ethelbert as a heathen temple, which St. Augustine would purify from pollution and consecrate to Christian worship. He would also take in the remaining site of the destroyed Roman church, using the original materials, and re-erect a building there to provide for his numerous converts. The actual foundation-walls, as well as the existing wall above-ground of Roman tiles, would (from this point of view) date from Saxon times; and I suggest this date because of the sea-shore mortar with which the wall is built, and which appears to me most probably post-Roman. Following the fortunes of this Roman-Saxon church, we can easily fancy it (like St. Martin's) ravaged by the Danes; then restored by the Normans, who would after their manner introduce their own doorways; till in its turn it would fall into decay, and be superseded by the early English church, of which some ruins still remain; and the flooring, as it wore out, would gradually be replaced by later tiles.