East Wear Bay

Location: Wear Bay Road, Folkestone, Kent, UK

Season: August 30, 2022 to September 23, 2022

Session Dates: As above

Application Deadline: August 22, 2022

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/_files/ugd/cf851a_6fbc199eb601432483c9d15250ca19ee.pdf?index=true

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust

Project Director:
Keith Parfitt MCIfA; FSA

Project Description:

Roman remains were first discovered eroding from the cliff-top above East Wear Bay, Folkestone, in about 1919. Extensive excavations by S.E. Winbolt in 1923–4 exposed the foundations of a villa complex. Findings included evidence for what was later acknowledged to be internationally significant pre-Roman occupation. Although piecemeal rather than gradual, cliff-top erosion at the site has continued unabated. Following the publication of a Shoreline Management Plan in 1996, which recommended a policy of ‘no active intervention’, it became clear that excavation (preservation by record) was the only option available in preventing significant and irreversible loss of information. Despite a series of Canterbury Archaeological Trust-led, rescue excavations at the site during the period 2010 to 2017, this remains the case.
The main aim of the current proposal is to fully excavate all significant, threatened, deposits as part of a five-year campaign of community and university-focused rescue excavation and post-excavation analysis, with the results presented, along with those of the previous CAT excavations, as a single academic publication. The areas to be excavated are those set out in the Conservation Management Plan (see website), although the proposal is subject to alterations based on the realities of cliff-erosion and the depth and extent of the surviving archaeological resource.
It is envisaged that the first season, 2022, will last for 4 weeks and the five subsequent seasons 8 weeks each. Post-excavation work on finds, samples and records will take place during the excavation period and subsequently, with opportunities for volunteers and students to take part wherever possible.

Period(s) of Occupation: Late Iron Age / Roman

Notes:
1 week: £400; 2 weeks: £750 Flights and accommodation are not included. We can help you find private accommodation in the Folkestone area. CAT has a long tradition of working with colleges and universities. Such links will be developed during the duration of the project. The duration and the anticipated importance of material assemblages likely to be recovered from the site make it particularly suitable for high-level research. https://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/getting-involved

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 1 week

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No prior experience required.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Private accommodation is available in Folkestone.

Academic Credit:
No academic credit, although CAT provides accredited professional training. Students would not be able to complete this training within the duration of the Field School, but their progress would be logged using the BAJR skills passport, a document recognised by most professional and academic institutions in the UK.