Boys Hall Road - Sevington Railhead, ARC BHR 97
Museum of London Archaeology, 2004. (updated 2017) https://doi.org/10.5284/1044684. How to cite using this DOI
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This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Stuart
Foreman
Senior Project Manager
Oxford Archaeology (South)
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Osney Mead
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OX2 0ES
UK
Tel: 01865 263800
Fax: 01865 793496
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 1729
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1044684
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
As part of a programme of archaeological investigations along the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Union Railways Limited (URL) commissioned the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) to undertake an evaluation comprising fifteen trial trenches situated in c. 4.7ha of land 3km to the south-east of the centre of Ashford, Kent. The area of investigation (ARC BHR97) was bounded by the existing London to Folkestone Railway to the south, Boys Hall Road to the west and Ashford Business Park to the north and east.
At the eastern end of the site a large ditch or pond, located in trench 1701TT, was thought to be associated with Boys Hall Moat, a medieval and post-medieval former manor situated immediately to the south of the railway line. Although the railway cut through the north-eastern corner of the site in the 1840s, archaeology was expected within the current evaluation area. Boys Hall Moat was the subject of survey and excavation undertaken by the Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) in 1993 prior to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project, the results of which indicated a central medieval moated area surrounded by post-medieval formal gardens, including raised terrace walks and water features. The cut feature in trench 1701TT and ragstone features found in trenches 1699TT, 1700TT and 1701TT are possibly associated with the postmedieval gardens.
Also at the eastern end of the site several Late Iron Age (LIA) and Early Romano- British (ERB) features were concentrated in trenches 1698TT and 1699TT. They are similar in nature and date to a series of LIA-ERB slots and ditches found during the earlier separate OAU excavations. The presence of Late Iron Age / Romano-British activity is also consistent with fieldwork carried out by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit (KARU) in 1990 as part of a separate project immediately to the south of the railway line. Fieldwalking and trial trenching located at least three sites within this general date range.
In the north-west corner of the evaluated area trenches 1687TT and 1688TT contained a number of features of medieval date including ditches and a small pit.
Two Building Surveys: 2 Boys Hall Road and 4 Boys Hall Road were undertaken in the area after this evaluation as part of CTRL phase 1.
N.B. Much of this work here has been superseeded by works associated with the Phase Two and Schemewide programmes, but are included here for completeness. Those wishing to use the most current data are urged to view the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Section 1 Project pages.
