reports: Canterbury Excavation Committee 1945 - Archaeologia Cantiana

IN Vol. LVII (1944) of Arch. Cantiana appeared a preliminary report of excavations undertaken in September to October, 1944, between the ruins of St. George's Church and the fragment of the old city wall of A.D. 1300 adjoining the site of St. George's Gate. The work in progress also included trial trenches at Martyr's Field where an inhumation cemetery had been located (Victoria County History), but no burials were found.
Since the above work was reported excavation has been carried on in Burgate Street at Christmas and during April, 1945. As previously, Mrs. Audrey Williams of the Ministry of Works supervised the work. Here part of the foundation and walling of a large building of, it is considered, the latter part of the 2nd century A.D. were found. Two rubbish pits which had been dug in the area seemed to prove this. One had contents dating to not later than the mid 2nd c., the other, which was later than the building, had pottery not earlier than the 3rd and 4th centuries.
In September, 1945, further work was undertaken in Watling Street when two gravel roads, one of them perhaps the Roman Watling Street itself, were cut. On this site foundations of a wall at least six feet wide were found.

   The latest excavations have been undertaken since Christmas in Butchery Lane where the spectacular find of two mosaic pavements of coarse grey green cubes enclosing panels of conventional flower design in small coloured tessarae has been opened up. This seems to belong to the corridor of a late 3rd or 4th c. house. Coins and other small finds are dated to this period.
   Some of the main results of the excavations so far completed have been given by Mr. B. H. St. J. O'Neil, Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments. He considers that the evidence shows Canterbury to have been of Roman foundation, since so far there is no trace of an earlier settlement on the site, but that it must have been founded immediately after the Roman Conquest. From an early date it must have had a defensive bank and ditch. Slight traces of early buildings of timber have been found; of stone walls the earliest so far located is one of a building, which was considerably altered in or soon after the reign of Hadrian.
   The building found in Burgate Street had very substantial walls and was certainly more than an ordinary dwelling. Further work here might be most profitable, especially as the building has been