Randall Manor, Shorne Woods

Archaeology events at Shorne Woods

Free Archaeology in the Park
Saturday 9 to Sunday 31 July, 10am-4pm.

Come and visit our annual excavation at Randall Manor. Meet the team, take a free tour and see the latest finds. More details on our flyer (PDF, 454k).

Free Archaeology Guided Walk 
Sunday 25 September, 10.30am-12.30pm.

Booking required at the Visitor Centre or on 01474 823800. A gentle walk around the park, across slight gradients and with some steps.

Randall Manor Dig

From Saturday 9 July to Sunday 31 July 2011, volunteers and local schools, led by Kent County Council archaeologists, will spend a sixth year excavating Randall Manor, in Shorne Woods Country Park. The park is just north of the A2 between Rochester and Gravesend.

We will be having two rest days this year, Monday 18 July and Monday 25 July, so site tours won't be running on these days.

Read our 2010 Randall Manor Dig Blog or watch a film about the dig.

The Manor of Randall was occupied for over a hundred years by the de Cobham family.

The community-based project has been uncovering the foundations of this 13th century Manor, that was slowly lost within the woods.

Although nothing survives above ground, the Manor sits on a rectangular platform, with a series of fish ponds running along one side.

The project started in 2006 as a one week dig. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 blogs can be read online. You can download an aerial view of the site (PDF, 529k) and also see a video about the 2008 excavations on YouTube by typing 'Randall Manor Excavation' in the YouTube search box.

So far archaeologists have looked at the kitchen building, complete with massive stone hearth, the bakery, the store buildings and the fish ponds. In 2009 they began to examine the main buildings of the Manor, where the Lord would have lived. In 2010 this work continued, as well as looking at the Lord's toilet! We also worked with local schools to uncover the original courtyard of the Manor.

During this year's dig, updates will be posted on Facebook and summarised on here.

Followers will be able to hear from the frontline as diggers share their experiences and pictures are published of their discoveries.

We are also on the Festival of Archaeology website.