In 1973 work started to build four houses on Bubblestone Road on the South East corner of the Palace site.
Through the actions of a private individual, first the Otford and District Archaeological Group and then the Kent Unit and the Council for Kentish Archeology were able to excavate the area and this revealed the remains of the South East Palace Tower as well as underlying structures – Romano-British remains, the 12th and 13th Century Manor House, and the 14th Century Manor House. Subsequently a large part of the site was purchased from the builder. The preliminary report was published in Archaeologia Cantiana.
A detailed account of the excavations can be found in: Philp. B (1984) Excavations in the Darent Valley, Kent. Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, Dover. ISBN 0-9502129-7-0.