The Medway Gap Kent Archaeological Society
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KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL ISSUE NUMBER 90 SOCIETY AUTUMN 2011 Your Quarterly Newsletter THE MEDWAY GAP AS NEVER SEEN BEFORE Page 2-3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Image Copyright Forest Research based on Cambridge University Technical Services and Valley of Visions survey data 2-3 Medway LiDAR + Roman Thanet Revealed 4-5 Boxley Warren + MAAG open day 6 What’s On 7 Kent History & Library centre 8-9 You & Your Society + Committee Round Up 10 Discovering Cliffe’s Defences 11 New Books 12-13 Notes from the Archive 14-15 Wolverton display 16 Mystery photo www.kentarchaeology.org.uk LiDAR Mapping the Medway Gap Digital Surface Model of the A2, with Shorne Woods above and Cobham Hall grounds below. arly in April this year the sky The Medway survey was the working strips within it, the above the Medway gap saw a commissioned and funded mainly former route of Watling Street and helicopter weaving its way to by the Heritage Lottery Fund the traces of medieval fields and E through the Valley of Visions and fro, scanning the land below enclosures around Randall Manor. with a laser beam. This was not for Landscape Partnership Scheme and Overall the LiDAR has provided some top secret military purpose, the Shorne Woods Heritage Project. a stunning new tool to help us to but for an archaeological survey. Additional funds were also provided investigate the historic landscape of This exciting new technique, now by Kent County Council and the this archaeologically rich area. Over available to archaeologists, is known Forestry Commission. The area the coming winter Valley of Visions as LiDAR. surveyed extended from Shorne volunteers and the Shorne Woods The lasers reflect back from the Woods in the north to the M20 in Archaeology Group will be taking ground surface below and by using the south and from Meopham in the survey and going out into the extremely accurate GPS and the west to Bluebell Hill in the east. area to examine the features it measuring equipment the distance That adds up to over 100 square shows. If you would like to get is measured. Millions of laser beams kilometres, which was surveyed in involved then please contact either are projected and read giving a a couple of days! Valley of Visions at mail@vov. highly detailed map of the ground The results have now come in kentdowns.org.uk or Andrew topography. LiDAR can even map and they are as exciting as we had Mayfield at Shorne Woods - andrew. the ground in woodland, stripping hoped. LiDAR data comes back in [email protected]. The results back the vegetation to reveal hidden several forms. A ‘surface model’ of our work will also be posted on earthworks that would just not be shows the surface as it would on an the facebook pages www.facebook. appreciated from the ground. A aerial photograph, with trees still com/archaeologyinkent and www. more detailed explanation of the visible. A ‘terrain model’ strips away facebook.com/VOVLPS and technology and its applications can the vegetation and shows the ground the Valley of Visions website be found at http://www.english- surface with earthworks, trackways, www.valleyofvisions.org.uk. heritage.org.uk/publications/light- and in the case of Shorne Woods, fantastic/light-fantastic.pdf. the outline of the former quarry and 2 Autumn 2011 - KAS Newsletter - www.kentarchaeology.org.uk Digital Terrain Model of the same area, all vegetation stripped away. Roman Thanet Revealed by Lauren Figg, for the Trust for Thanet Archaeology ‘Roman Thanet Revealed’is a new both professional and exhibition at the Powell-Cotton amateur. The Trust for Museum at Quex Park, Birchington. Thanet Archaeology has The exhibition was officially opened been supporting on September 1st and was entirely IOTAS since the produced by volunteers. The Powell- start of their work Cotton Museum, supported by at the museum, with MP Roger Gale views RTR Friends of Quex, has provided a the help of a base for community curators, grant from the KAS mainly from the Isle of Thanet Education Committee. Archaeological Society (IOTAS), to Deputy Director Ges Moody Villa, Minster in Thanet, as well as unleash their creativity through provided an interesting Roman finds from all over the Isle. research and design. introduction, explaining the Walking around the exhibition, it’s The ribbon was cut by Roger background to the exhibition. clear that a lot of thought and Gale, MP for North Thanet, Prominent in the gallery is a map research has gone into each display, officially opening the exhibition. of Thanet in the Roman period, cut enough to inspire anyone of any Among the guests were the Mayors off from the mainland by the age. The enthusiasm of the of Broadstairs and Ramsgate, the Wantsum Channel, setting the volunteers is contagious, as was head of Birchington Parish Council, scene for stories of Thanet in Roman obvious from its spread amongst and Ian Coulson, President of the times. Items on display include the guests during the evening. KAS, along with many members of finds from the KAS-sponsored See http://www.quexmuseum. the local archaeological community, training dig at the Abbey Farm org/ for more information. www.kentarchaeology.org.uk - Autumn 2011 - KAS Newsletter 3 Boxley Warren, looking north from Penenden Heath CelebratingBoxleyWarren by Mike Phillips Boxley Warren stands proudly on the next three years, to celebrate the present more about the rich history of the area. scarp slope of the Kent Downs, Boxley Warren and explore its history. The heritage survey, which is close to overlooking both Maidstone and The completion, will reveal more about the Weald. The site saw some of the first The project aims to: plethora of hollow ways and ancient human settlement in the area, the » Commission an enhanced heritage routes that criss-cross the Downs, as introduction of farming and changes survey of Boxley Warren well as the relic settlements and evidence wrought by the Industrial Revolution, » Create a ‘Friends of’ group to help of chalk pits and dene holes. There but despite being highly visible from steer the future of the site will, however, be much more to find the county town and the M20, most » Get people involved in investigating out about, including crop marks and people know very little about it, or its the history of Boxley Warren lynchets that may indicate evidence of diverse history. ‘Celebrating Boxley » Improve the biodiversity of the site by early farming, as well as the role that Warren’ is a project that is attempting creating new habitats and managing the military have played in shaping this to address this. the existing wildlife areas more remarkable landscape. Boxley Warren is an 83-hectare Local appropriately Anyone who is interested in the Nature Reserve just to the east of » Run practical tasks so people can get heritage of Boxley will be asked to take Bluebell Hill and to the north of Boxley involved in habitat village. It is an internationally management significant place, a Site of Special » Run a series of walks White Horse Stone, one of the Medway megaliths Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the highlighting the plants chalk grassland species and also a and animals of Boxley European designated Special Area of Warren as well as the Conservation (SAC) because of the heritage of the site lowland beech and yew woodland. It is also home to the White Horse Stone, ‘Celebrating Boxley one of the Medway Megaliths and a Warren’ has joined Scheduled Ancient Monument. forces with Kent County Boxley Parish Council and the Mid Council’s Heritage Team Kent Downs Countryside Partnership to create some exciting have successfully applied to the Heritage opportunities to get Lottery Fund to run a project over the involved and find out 4 Autumn 2011 - KAS Newsletter - www.kentarchaeology.org.uk Holloway running N-S from the Pilgrims’ Way to the CelebratingBoxleyWarren North Downs Way, through yew woodland part in both practical work on site and undertake their research. contact Mike Phillips on 01303 research work using historical records. Events and opportunities to take 815170 or mike.phillips@kentdowns. Activities with the North Downs Young part in research projects will be taking org.uk. You can also find us on Archaeologists Club will see them place over the next couple of years, all Facebook - search for ‘Friends of choosing their area of work and free of charge. If you’d like to find out Boxley Warren’. deciding themselves the best way to more about ‘Celebrating Boxley Warren’, FOUR HUNDRED ATTEND EAST FARLEIGH OPEN DAY by Albert Daniels our hunded people attended the were the kitchen range, Roman Buildings Open Day displayed last year, together held by the Maidstone Area with a section of the Iron Age FArchaeological Group (MAAG) on the ditch which passed under its 31st July. They were treated to guided north wall, and the central tours of the site and displays of artefacts section of the two buildings found during excavation. located to the east. These two Members of MAAG were on hand buildings are now known to to explain the various finds and answer be barns, with 3.6m and any questions from members of the 3.3m-wide doors located public. Poster board displays of previous mid-way along the south wall. work carried out by the Group were The buildings will be East Farleigh open day shown to illustrate different aspects of backfilled later this year in their archaeological work carried out order to prevent deterioration during the last twenty years. of the walls and floors. The buildings displayed this year www.kentarchaeology.org.uk - Autumn 2011 - KAS Newsletter 5 WHAT’S ON KAS EVENTS WATERINGBURY LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY LOOSE AREA HISTORY SOCIETY Monday 14 November One-Day Conference held jointly by KAS 19 October ‘Despatches from the Home Front’, by Chris and the Friends of the Centre for Medieval Darwin Family of Downe - Barbara Stevens McCooey.