Folkestone: A Town Unearthed. Archaeology and History Project
75 people gathered at the Sassoon Gallery in Folkestone
Library last week to hear about plans for an exciting community based project ‘A
Town Unearthed: Folkestone Before 1500’ that is supported by local authorities
and archaeological groups and aims to uncover the ancient history of the town.
Andrew Richardson, Kent County Council’s Archaeological Finds Officer and Lesley
Hardy from Canterbury Christ Church University presented the project and
explained why it was important.
Folkestone has a fascinating early history that dates back to the earliest
times. Recent excavations by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust on the Bayle
have revealed worked flints and other finds that demonstrate that this was an
area that was settled in the Neolithic period.
Moving on several thousand years to the Iron Age, Folkestone seems to have been
a centre of cross channel trade and communication. Many people will know of the
Roman Villa on the East Cliff which may have been the estate of a local
Romanised leader.
That’s not all, there are also Roman remains in the area around Folly Rd and in
Cheriton and further research is needed to understand the extent and identity of
the Roman presence in the area. Anglo Saxon history is also a strong feature in
the town and work on the Bayle may reveal more evidence about the C7th nunnery
of St Eanswythe and the later Norman Priory and fortifications.
A wealth of material remains buried under the streets and gardens of Folkestone.
However, much of this important archaeology is little known to the community and
hard for the public to access. Development in the C19th and C20th has covered
evidence of the town’s early identity and although the distant past is preserved
in tales of St Eanswythe’s miraculous routing of a water course uphill (possibly
originating in the re-opening of a Roman Aquaduct) and people’s memories of the
Roman Villa before it was covered up in the 1950s.
In addition to such gaps there is now a real risk to the villa site from coastal
erosion and as part of the presentation Dr Richardson showed images of Roman
tile recently exposed by landslips. There may only be a few decades left in
which to study the archaeology of that site and to answer the many outstanding
questions that remain about the identity of Folkestone in the first millennium.
‘A Town Unearthed’ proposes a solution to these issues and more.
As a community project it asks for the support and
involvement of the community to launch a five year programme of archaeological
fieldwork and a garden test pit survey that the public can take a part in, with
training from archaeologists from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust and the
Kent Archaeological Society. Plans are for a wide range of activities, education
and arts projects such as walks, lectures and living history days aimed at
schools, local groups and the public at large. The project will also create an
up to date record of the town’s ancient past, in the form of an online archive,
pamphlets and books.
The project has recently won generous financial support from Folkestone Town
Council and Canterbury Christ Church University and is now hoping for further
sponsorship. Above all it is important that the people of Folkestone and its
surrounding areas become involved. If you are interested and would like to
support the project please contact Lesley Hardy on lah16@canterbury.ac.uk, phone
01303 850614 or pop into the Folkestone History Centre at 67 The Old High St.
Dr Lesley Hardy
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter June 2007
