About the Project
The East Wear Bay Archaeological project is a community-led initiative to investigate, record, preserve and share the archaeological landscape at East Wear Bay before it is lost to coastal erosion.
Our Mission
The East Wear Bay Archaeological project was founded in 2015 with a critical mission: to excavate and record a nationally significant Iron Age and Roman villa site that is rapidly disappearing due to coastal erosion along the Kent cliffs.
Alongside the important job of preserving the site by record, the project involves working within the Kent community to communicate the outputs of the excavation and to share everything that site can teach us about our culture and heritage.
Our approach brings together archaeologist, specialists, students, artists, schools, and community members in collaborative fieldwork and outreach activities. The work we undertake not only records valuable archaeological data but also creates meaningful connections to local heritage.
Our Funders
The East Wear Bay Archaeological Project is made possible through the generous support of our funding partners.
Association for Roman Archaeology
Council for British Archaeology
Folkestone & Hythe District Council
Folkestone Town Council
Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust
Garfield Weston Foundation
Kent Community Foundation
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
The Lawson Trust
The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust
Our Beneficiaries
We are proud to have worked with numerous schools, community groups, and organisations across Kent.
Primary Schools
- • St Thomas School Catholic Primary School, Canterbury
- • Christ Church, Church of England School, Folkestone
- • Harcourt Community Primary, Folkestone
- • Nonington Church of England School, Dover
- • Castle Hill Community Primary, Folkestone
- • St Mary's Primary Academy, Folkestone
- • Mundella Primary School, Folkestone
- • Haddon Dene Primary School
- • St Peter's Church of England School Folkestone
- • Martello Primary School, Folkestone
SEND/SEN Schools and Students
- • The Beacon School, Folkestone
- • Students at Castle Hill Community Primary HI SRP, Folkestone
- • Rosewood School, Staplehurst
- • Goodnestone Primary School
Universities and Colleges
- • East Kent College, Canterbury
- • University of Kent, Canterbury
- • Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury
Plus, students from the following universities:
- • University College London
- • University of Bristol
- • University of Aberdeen
- • University of Pécs
- • University of Nottingham
- • Louisiana State University
- • University of Melbourne
- • Grand Valley State University
- • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- • University of Toronto
- • University of Leicester
- • St. Lawrence University
- • Macquarie University
- • University of Winchester
- • Yale University
- • University of Cambridge
- • University of Leiden
- • Newcastle University
- • Harvard University
Community Groups
- • Sunflower House
- • Touchbase Care
- • Lighthouse Dementia Café
- • Hythe Dementia Café
- • Forget-me-Not Dementia Café, Sevenoaks
- • Thanington Dementia Café
- • Wells Lodge Care Home
- • Wells House Care home
- • Pilgrims Hospice
- • Nonington Farm
- • Herne Bay Brownies
- • 9th Deal Ash Scouts
- • 2nd Sandgate Scouts
- • Dover Archaeology Group
- • Folkestone Research and Archaeology Group
- • Hythe Walking Group
- • Amber Foundation
- • Young Archaeologist Club, Canterbury
- • Hythe Local History Group
- • Warnborough Foundation
The Archaeology
East Wear Bay has been a focus for human activity for millennia. While the Roman villa (1st-4th century CE) is the most prominent feature, excavations have revealed evidence spanning from the Upper Paleolithic through to the modern era.
The Roman villa was a substantial coastal estate featuring mosaic floors, painted wall plaster and a hypocaust heating system. However, the site has also yielded significant evidence for Iron Age occupation, as well as being an important site for quern production during the Late Iron Age.
First excavated in the 1920s by SE Winbolt and his daughter, Rosalind, this multi-period archaeological landscape provides unique insights into over 12,000 years of human history within a dynamic coastal environment.
Our Approach
Rescue Archaeology
Our primary focus is conducting methodical excavations in the areas most at risk of imminent erosion. We work with urgency but maintain rigorous archaeological standards to ensure proper documentation of all features and finds.
Digital Preservation
We employ cutting-edge digital technologies including photogrammetry, 3D scanning, and immersive visualization to create permanent digital records of the site and its artefacts. These digital assets form an archive that will outlast the physical site.
Community Archaeology
We believe that archaeology should be accessible to all. Our field school, volunteer programs, and public engagement initiatives create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in uncovering and preserving their local heritage.
Academic Research
The project maintains academic rigour through partnerships with universities and specialists, regular reporting of findings, and contribution to broader research questions. These include themes relating to Romano-British and Iron Age settlement, economy and society, alongside investigations into the Iron Age to Roman period transition in Kent.
Project Timeline
2015-2017
The East Wear Bay Archaeological Field School ran between 2015 and 2017 with the aim of investigating land to the north of the Villa. The focus of this excavation was to establish the extent of the earlier Iron Age features.
2018-2021
Following the 2017 excavation season, lack of available funds and the COVID pandemic, necessitated a halt in the fieldwork programme. Some funds were obtained in 2021 to undertake a review of the recorded information and to produce a detailed conservation management plan for the site.
2022
In a small community excavation was undertaken to investigate villa Room 40, known to contain a mosaic. The work was designed to determine the preservation level of the mosaic. Exploratory trenching was also undertaken on Copt Point where a mound enclosing a Second World War bunker was shown to be earlier than the building it surrounds.
2023-2024
Expanded excavations with major funding from the national Lottery Heritage Fund. This included expanded community engagement initiatives and the development of the East Wear Bay heritage portal with the digital museum.
2025
A small-scale community excavation and international field school focused on the seaward side of the villa to further explore the landscape during the Iron Age to Roman period transition.
2026-2027
Further funding is being sought to further the excavation and digital conservation work for areas most at risk of coastal erosion. Continued community involvement is planned with a broader engagement programme.