St Andrew’s Gardens
Digging up Gravesend’s past at St Andrews Gardens
We supported a four-day community excavation with a Gravesham based community archaeology group at St Andrew’s Gardens in Gravesend, involving a local school and volunteers. The project aimed to investigate this part of the town while encouraging greater engagement with its archaeology and heritage.
Gravesend has a long and fascinating history, stretching back at least to the Roman period, and this heritage was reflected in the recent work at St. Andrew’s Gardens. The excavation focused on Victorian archaeology, as the site was once home to a row of cottages built in the 1840s.
Participants uncovered fragments of clay pipes, pottery, and glass, along with the footings of one of the cottages. Evidence of a coal chute or porch and the west wall of the terrace, which runs down towards Thames Terrace, further confirmed the presence of a long line of Victorian cottages that once stood on the site.
The excavation was carried out with the help of local archaeological volunteers from Shorne Woods Country Park, as well as pupils from Chantry School, who enjoyed taking part in trowelling, shovelling, and finding pieces of pottery. This hands-on involvement was a key part of our aim to make local heritage accessible and exciting for the community.
"This project has been a fantastic way to bring people together, from schoolchildren to local volunteers, to uncover and celebrate the history beneath our feet here in Gravesend. It shows how archaeology can inspire pride in our community, connect us to the stories of past residents, and highlight the rich heritage we are so fortunate to have in our town."Cllr Jenny Wallace, Mayor of Gravesham
After documenting and photographing the remains, the trenches had to be backfilled, and the grass reinstated. However, the team now has a better understanding of the extent of the archaeology and hopes to return in the future to uncover more, possibly the full width of a cottage or its cellars.
The project at St Andrews Gardens is part of a wider Archaeology and Heritage programme made possible through National Highways’ Designated Funds, a programme that invests in projects beyond the road itself.
The Mayor of Gravesham, Cllr Jenny Wallace who was Deputy Mayor at the time of the dig, praised the project as a positive example of community engagement with local heritage. “This project has been a fantastic way to bring people together, from schoolchildren to local volunteers, to uncover and celebrate the history beneath our feet here in Gravesend. It shows how archaeology can inspire pride in our community, connect us to the stories of past residents, and highlight the rich heritage we are so fortunate to have in our town.”
Dr Steve Sherlock, Heritage Advisor for the Lower Thames Crossing said: "This mini-dig at St Andrews Garden is a splendid example not only of the community archaeology project that we did in Gravesend, but also is an excellent example of how the Lower Thames Crossing project has used National Highways Designated Funds".
