| Abstract: |
Border Archaeology (BA) attended site at the request of South East Water (SEW) to record a section of masonry wall exposed during engineering groundworks forming part of the Tonbridge Road Sevenoaks Offsite NARS 7995 (05-1079 69497) Kent TN13 1RD. Border Archaeology (BA) attended site at the request of South East Water (SEW) to record a section of masonry wall exposed during engineering groundworks forming part of the Tonbridge Road Sevenoaks Offsite NARS 7995 (05-1079 69497) Kent TN13 1RD. Engineering work was halted following initial discovery of a short c.1.5m length of wall in the pavement on the western side of Tonbridge Road and BA attended site on the 7th and 8th August 2019 to record this exposed section of masonry and monitor the remainder of the trenching excavations. Approximately 13.5m of masonry was revealed in total comprising two walls, one of which, 001004, was aligned broadly north-south, with the remains of a second wall, 001009, at its northern extent branching off to the west. Wall 001004 was constructed from local Kentish ragstone and is thought to define the former alignment of Tonbridge Road as this was established in 1709, when an earlier route, in existence since the medieval period, was turnpiked. Its poorly finished western elevation suggests it is likely to have been a revetment or retaining wall, probably defining the eastern extent of a formal garden shown on historic maps of 1769 and 1799. This appears to have been laid out at some point in the late 17th/18th Century within the grounds of Park Grange, a 17th-18th Century house once belonging to the Lambard family, now a girls’ boarding school. Wall 001009 branching off to the west is though likely to be the remains of a formal approach to the gardens leading to an entrance, also shown on historic mapping. The gardens were later swept away and the land turned over to arable cultivation, forming part of Field No 663 recorded in the Tithe Apportionment of 1839. Both walls appear to have been demolished when Tonbridge Road was widened in the mid-19th Century. Archaeological monitoring undertaken on approximately 13.5m of engineering groundworks along Tonbridge Road Sevenoaks Kent has yielded evidence of two post-medieval walls most likely associated with a formal garden, now no longer in existence, and which represent the alignment of the 18th Century turnpike road, now part of Tonbridge Road. All associated features, finds and deposits have been subject to comprehensive, detailed recording. The results have some relevance to regional research priorities as defined in the South East Regional Research Framework (SERF) with respect to developing knowledge and understanding of the turnpike road systems in Kent. |
