Saxon Kent versus Roman London? Presenting Borderland Heritage at the Faesten Dic in Joyden’s Wood, Kent

Abstract

Standing on Kent’s western border with Greater London, the Faesten Dic in Joyden’s Wood is one of Britain’s less-well known linear earthworks. There has been speculation as to its origins since the late nineteenth century, although as of yet no conclusive dating evidence has been revealed. This article reviews the archaeological and historical evidence for the site, before exploring the ways in which the heritage of this earthwork has been presented to the public by the Woodland Trust, a charity which own Joyden’s Wood, focusing on how both information boards and installed sculptures have foregrounded the narrative of the earthwork as a fifth-century defensive barrier between ‘Roman London’ and ‘Saxon Kent.’ This, in turn, has interesting connotations regarding the current administrative divisions between Greater London and Kent.