Yonsea Farm, ARC YFM 97

Abstract

• As part of a programme of archaeological investigations along the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Union Railways Limited (URL) commissioned the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) to undertake an evaluation of six trial trenches situated at Yonsea Farm. The farm is 3.5km to the north-west of the centre of Ashford, Kent and is bounded by the A20 immediately to the north and farmland to the west, south and east. Yonsea Farm consists of a large house, byres and cowsheds, an oast house, a tollhouse and associated gardens. The farm was probably constructed as a single phase in the 1830s. Immediately to the south of this complex a walled garden is bounded to the east and south by a pond which apparently occupies part of an earlier ditch or possible 'moat'. A fairly substantial depression headed westwards along the south side of the garden and appeared to have been a continuation of this feature. The existence of an earlier moated site, predating the 19th century farm, was therefore thought possible.