Richborough was first occupied by the Romans as part of the AD 43 Claudian invasion when Aulus Plautius chose the site for a key beachhead defence to protect his landings. This featured a huge 57-hectare marching camp, the remains of which can still be seen today within the later Saxon Shore fort.
The site proved an ideal location, occupying an easily defended position on an islet or narrow peninsula at the southeastern entrance to the Wantsum Channel. This was then a major waterway separating the Isle of Thanet from mainland Kent, used by maritime traffic to bypass the treacherous Goodwin Sands off the Kent coast further east. The fort site is easily accessible today as the coastline has moved considerably eastwards over time.
As Plautius’ legionary spearheads headed west, the beach defence was then turned into a logistics hub to support the Roman offensive, with evidence of large storehouses and granaries found in the archaeological record dated to this time. From this early beginning the port town of Rutupiae then developed, becoming imperial way station (to house officials travelling to Britain on imperial business) and an amphitheatre. The town also marked the beginning of Watling Street, the key Roman trunk road from the east Kent coast that ran along the line of the modern A2 to London, and then the line of the modern A5 to the Welsh border.
