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Archaeological excavations
at SSC

Three years ago, as the building work began at 'Foreland Heights', more familiar to us as the site of our old college buildings and the top games field at Broadstairs, we were fascinated to learn of the discovery of evidence of an ancient settlement dating back to the Bronze Age that lay, long forgotten and now unknown, beneath the green turf where we had ourselves walked and played so obliviously during our schooldays.

Now, as the excavations have been concluded, and the new building work itself approaches completion, Vanessa Ray (once a member of staff at St Stephen's Prep. School at North Foreland Court) who has continued to take an active interest in the excavations, has sent us a detailed update of the discoveries in the form of a rather technical account published in The Earthworm, alias the newsletter of the Thanet Archaeological Society.

I cannot pretend to understand much of the highly specialised jargon, but omitting some of the more obscure details, I have attempted to summarise the main gist of the article in more simplified, but hopefully accurate terms.

The excavations revealed a total number of twelve burials, six of which presented articulated skeletons, but once lifted out of the ground most of these were found to be incomplete, with many of the bones badly damaged and eroded. The remaining six had through the process of time, been disturbed, possibly by animal burrowing, worm activity and tree roots.

Gender: Some skeletons could be identified as belonging to adults - five males, one female and one indeterminate. Four were juveniles, but the sex of none of these could be identified. The twelfth was too severely damaged to allow for any conclusions.

Stature: The robust nature of most of the bones presented a picture of a healthy well-built community. The female appeared to be slightly above average in height, whilst three of the males appeared similarly robust with well developed muscles. The other two males however, were of a frailer, more slender build with longer bones. The distinct differences apparent in the length of the right and left upper arm, and the leg bones of two of the males, suggested that they had participated in some form of energetic physical activity, possibly weapon training, that used one side of the body more than the other.

Age: The five males were calculated to fall into a series of four different age brackets - two being between 18 and 25 years, one between 25 and 35, the fourth between 30 and 40 and the eldest between 40 and 50+ years. The female came within the 20-25 years age bracket. Ages could be estimated for only three of the juveniles, but these could be given more specifically at about 5 years, 9-10 years and 17 years.

Pathological: the oldest male had evidently suffered a rib fracture at some stage (subsequently healed). There were generally amongst all the skeletons, signs of wear and tear of the muscles and bones which again suggested a considerable amount of physical activity and possibly the habitual carrying of heavy loads.

Skulls and Dentition: No skulls were complete, but it was possible to reconstruct them to some extent. In doing so, two distinctly different shapes emerged - one being definitely rounded, while the other was narrow and elongated. The teeth, overall, appeared to be healthy and in good repair.

Rather a dry account, perhaps, but with imagination what a romantic and colourful picture could be built up of these earliest settlers on our old school site! And after them so many other settlements must have followed as century succeeded century and age succeeded age - but each of them in their turn falling likewise into oblivion.

We too, have, during the forty-five years when SSC occupied this small corner of England, played our own part in the making up of its history, but now, as we embark upon yet another century and a new settlement of modern red-bricked houses equipped with microwaves and washing machines, televisions and computers, have superseded our own old College buildings, will we also be forgotten?