Facing the Cliff: East Wear Bay Archaeological Project

Location: Wear Bay Road, Folkestone CT19 6PR, UK

Season: July 6, 2026 to July 17, 2026

Session Dates: Students can check into their accommodation on Sunday 5th July and check out on Saturday 18th July

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Deadline Type: Contact for Details

Website: https://www.eastwearbay.org/field-school

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust

Project Director:
Dr Lindsay Banfield

Project Description:

Canterbury Archaeological Trust would like to invite applicants for placements at its award-winning East Bay Archaeological Project. The excavation is a community project with the aim of researching the historic landscape of East Wear Bay and preserving archaeological remains associated with Folkestone Roman Villa ‘by record’ before they are lost forever to coastal erosion.

Multiple phases of occupation exist at the site dating from the Roman period back to the late Bronze Age. Evidence for international, national, and local trade alongside roundhouses and other domestic finds have been uncovered. The most significant discovery has been of an extensive quern stone production area dating, at its height, to the late Iron Age. The querns were made from the local greensand stone brought up from the cliffs and beaches around Folkestone.

A major new programme of excavation began in 2023 at East Cliff and will continue until 2026. This will be focused on ground outside (i.e., seaward) of the main villa buildings, across the area most at risk from coastal erosion. The aim will be to set the known villa buildings into both their contemporary local landscape and chronological settings. The new excavations are expected to reveal further remains of prehistoric and Roman date, including buildings, complexes of ditches and rubbish pits, all adding to our growing understanding of the history of this major site.

Period(s) of Occupation: The archaeological site at East Wear Bay has a complex history. Following some activity during earlier prehistoric times, this area grew to particular importance during the Late Iron Age, when it served as the focus of a quern-stone production industry and probably functioned as a port of trade with the developing Roman Empire. After the Roman Conquest of Britain, a major villa complex, whose full extent is yet to be ascertained, was established on the site surrounded by a system of ditched fields and enclosures that replaced earlier ones belonging to the Late Iron Age settlement.

Notes:
Two-week field school placement in self-catered accommodation is £895pp. If you would prefer to make your own accommodation arrangements, we can provide the course only at £650pp. Placement activities will include: site introduction; site induction including health and safety; archaeological excavation and the use of tools; finds processing; the written site record; archaeological site drawing, site surveys; and site photography. Subject to weather conditions and availability, we will also be running sessions on Historic Building Recording, and Geophysics.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 2 weeks for full programme. If participants wish to stay as volunteers after the field school is complete, the project continues to run until 24th July

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No prior experience required.

Room and Board Arrangements:
For those who choose the accommodation option, most students will be housed in 4-person shared apartments within a larger house. There are equipped kitchens, communal areas and laundry facilities for all students to use.

Academic Credit:
CAT provides accredited professional training. Individual progress is logged using the BAJR skills passport, a document recognised by most professional and academic institutions in the UK.