During excavations at a multi-million dollar development site in Dover, a team of archaeologists made an interesting discovery when they found remnants of what they believe to be an ancient pub.
Dover is a coastal town located in Kent, southeastern England.
The excavation was led by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, which had anticipated uncovering relics from the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and medieval periods — and their expectations were met.
Since April, the team has been working at the former nightclub site, where a new creative and digital hub is being developed. Among their discoveries were a pit filled with Bellarmine jugs, hundreds of kilos of clay pipes, and bottles of German wine.
These recent finds add to other significant discoveries from the area, such as a Bronze Age boat uncovered in 1992 and a medieval spindle wheel, both of which will be displayed at Dover Museum.
Ross Lane of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, who is overseeing the dig, told the BBC:
“A pit contained lots of refuse material, including the clay pipes. We believe it was linked to smoking and drinking, and much of the Bellarmine ware, likely containing wine, was imported from Germany. This suggests it could have been the backyard of a public house that fronted onto Bench Street."
Jamie Pout, the deputy leader of the council, expressed his excitement about the discoveries, saying, “Finding another Bronze Age boat would be incredible. To think of the historic events that took place here is quite special. But we’re also keen to see something iconic and attractive develop here as soon as possible.”
The Dover Beacon project involves redeveloping an area of Bench Street in Dover and is projected to bring over $110 million in economic benefits.
Dover District Council (DDC) has received $3.9 million from the government’s Future High Street Fund and $22.3 million from the Levelling Up Fund for the initiative.
