Medway (South Of), ARC MED 98

The Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) was commissioned by Union Railways Ltd (URL) to conduct a field evaluation of land in the vicinity of Borstal Court Farm (NGR TQ 7270 6650), near Chatham in Kent. The work formed part of a wider scheme of archaeological investigations along the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. The site is located on the lower north-west facing slope of the Nashenden Valley. Ten evaluation trenches were excavated across one arable field and five paddocks. The trenches typically revealed a silty Loessic deposit (Swanscombe Loam), although other Pleistocene deposits were recorded, including Valley gravels and Clay-with-Flints. Colluvium of Holocene date was recorded in all trenches. The only archaeological feature identified was a ditch of recent origin. Burnt flints were also recovered from the colluvium at two locations.