Stage II East Kent Signalling Upgrade

Project Details

The scheme was centred on Rochester Rail station. We monitored all significant groundworks in order to record and investigate archaeological remains.

The site lies on the outskirts of Rochester in an area formerly open to marsh and alluvial inundation and, as a result, it offered  the potential for surviving Romano-British remains, albeit at a significant depth. Similarly, there may have been deposits of archaeological interest that relate to a time of marsh reclamation and soil cultivation in the medieval period. These horizons had been determined by earlier archaeological works within the immediate vicinity of the Site as being at levels of 3.10m aOD for the medieval period and 2.06m aOD for the Romano-British period. We monitored all significant earthmoving operations and recorded waterlogged timbers (post-medieval) as a result.

We supplied labour at short notice to a complex, very finely timed construction project. We collaborated with contractors on the ground, their managers and the archaeological monitors (Kent County Council) in order to ensure that the delicate balance between expensive, finely timed construction works.