Prehistoric Sites on the Kent M25 Motorway

1. THE IRON AGE FARMSTEAD AT NORTH VIEW, SUTTON-AT-HONE, KENT.

The first part of this Report deals with the discovery and substantial excavation of an extensive late- iron Age farmstead site (NGR.TQ.55425.17032) at Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford, Kent in 1974. The area was then open farmland, but was designated for the route of the Dartford-Swanley Link Road, later to be more correctly described as the M25 Motorway. The Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit was then the body identified to carry out an archaeological rescue operation on this four km. route as a pioneering arrangement through the Dept, of the Environment.

2 A MESOLITHIC SITE AT DARENTH, KENT

The second part deals with the discovery and partial excavation of an important Mesolithic site in the parish of Darenth during the construction of the M25 Motorway in 1974. The site (NGR TQ 5555.1716) then lay in an open meadow about 700m north-west of the parish church. It occupied part of the flood-plain of the River Darent, very close to its east bank at a point about 7km from where the northwards flowing river enters the main River Thames. The subsoil here is river gravel capped by a thin alluvium with the surface at an elevation of about 14m O.D.