Library

Excavations carried out across a northward extension to the Hinxton Quarry borrow pit produced evidence of utilisation of the Cam-side terrace from the Early Neolithic through to Saxon times. A large assemblage of Early Neolithic flint including a polished flint axe, and pottery from at least six vessels, was recovered from a single feature. A scattering of Later Neolithic and Bronze Age pits also attests to occupation, albeit short-lived/episodic. Romano-British enclosures were present at the south, east and north of the site. The southern complex consisted of sub-divided fields/paddocks to either side of a broad droveway, dating to the late 1st - 2nd century AD. Subsequent alterations included further divisions within the system, with areas intensively pitted and probably taken out of agricultural usage. Occupation debris was abundant within the backfill of discrete features; the associated settlement must still lie further to the south or west. The fieldsystems may represent provisioning areas for the Roman fort and town at Great Chesterford to the south. There is evidence for continuity of use, with alterations, into the post-Roman period and perhaps into the Medieval times (the southern droveway ditch continues the line of the hedge bordering the farm track which still provides access to the field). Saxon occupation of the 5th - 7th century is directly attested to by two Grubenhauser and a series of pits. Roman features with Saxon material present within their upper levels indicates long-term earthwork survival; there is evidence of Saxon curation of Roman artefacts.

An area of southward sloping rough ground (TL 2142/9848) was evaluated for its archaeological potential between 2nd-11th September 1996. The investigated area was a small part of a field under consideration for the construction of a materials reprocessing plant for Peterborough City Council and would comprise an access box in the north of the field, south of the parish drain. Although the current investigation box measured only c.40 x 30m, it lies at one of the most sensitive parts of the fen-edge where previous archaeological excavation has revealed substantive evidence for its structured domestic and ceremonial development since at least the Early Bronze Age.

Persimmon Homes (East Midlands) Ltd. has commissioned this archaeological study into an area of land in Ely purchased for housing development. The study was requested as part of general investigation programme by the Development Control Office (DCO) of Cambridgeshire County Council's Archaeology Section. It forms the first part of a two-tiered approach designed to evaluate a 4.76 hectare block of land in north-eastern Ely ahead of construction work for a new housing development. It will attempt to indicate the potential for archaeological site presence as predicted from research into the known archaeological background held within a radius of 0.5km of the development area. The Brief prepared by the DCO had originally requested the study and rectification of air photographs to aid in both the prospection of archaeological sites and/or to discover whether elements of sites close by would enter the new investigation area. A recent land evaluation in an area immediately adjacent included air photographic rectification, the results of which indicated that no archaeological features could be mapped from existing photographs. Further work was, therefore, dropped from this study.

Between the 8-13th of May 1996 a 2m x 2.70m evaluation sondage was hand-excavated in the grounds of Trinity College anticipating re- development of the Bursarial Range. Located within a small enclosed patio garden immediately east of the range (the eastern side of Great Court), the site lies some 25m south of the College's Great Gate (TL 4489/5861). The work was carried out by the C.A.U for Donald W Insall & Associates Ltd on behalf of Trinity College.

An archaeological evaluation was commissioned by the Estate Management and Building Service of the University of Cambridge in advance of the proposed development of a Western Bookstack Range for the University Library, Cambridge (TL 44055840).

An archaeological evaluation was carried out by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit for Anglian Water Services Ltd. along a c.1,500m length of the proposed route of a new pumping main between Little Thetford and Ely Cawdle Fen. Six trenches totalling 422m in length were investigated, sited along the line of the pipe trench, representing a c.3% sample of the total easement area and c.20% sample of the total length of the pipe trench itself. Initial work concentrated on the extreme north and south ends of the corridor , areas where there were known archaeological features in the vicinity and where aerial photography indicated the possible existence of further remains. The central part of the corridor, where the pipe crossed areas masked by peat cover was sampled in three areas. No significant archaeological features were recovered in Trenches I and II located in an orchard area at the north end of the corridor near Braham Dock; a number of depressions and possible earthworks in this area probably relating to Post-Medieval ponds or similar features. Trench III revealed the southern side of a lode, identified from aerial photography, running between the Great Ouse and the Braham Farm earthworks complex, again probably of medieval or later date. Two clusters of posts and stakes may be interpreted as revetments or other structural features defining its southern bank. No archaeological features were found in Trench IV. An important and unusually dense concentration of Late Neolithic lithics was found buried beneath the peat at the north end of Trench V, in an area where a number of stone tools have previously been found in the ploughsoil. Here, the peat sequence indicates significant Bronze Age accumulations sealing the well-preserved Neolithic deposits. On the evidence recovered from this narrow trench the full significance of this material cannot yet be determined. It is also impossible to accurately locate the source of the lithic material but it is likely to be derived from working areas located a short distance to the west. A series of environmental samples for macrobotanical and pollen analyses were taken for assessing their potential. At the south end of the corridor in Trench VI, located on the gravels and clays surrounding Little Thetford, a single ditch feature, probably Romano-British forms part of a larger field system, identifiable from aerial photography. This may relate to known scatters of Romano-British pottery recovered from the field immediately south of the investigation area.

This archaeological desktop study was undertaken as a preliminary stage in the Parker Library development project. The study will contribute to the formulation of proposals to adapt and add to the existing facilities of the library to improve access to its resources. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential for archaeological remains in both the Master's Lodge garden and New Court. Findings of this report will contribute to the formulation of the most cost-effective project design for the new buildings.

The splendid extension to the St. John's College library now commands the southwest corner of Chapel Court. Prior to construction the College funded a series of archaeological investigations to enable damage to any surviving evidence of the history of the site to be mitigated by its being recorded. The archaeological investigations comprised four phases of work: Phase 1 - 1990 Desktop Study: Initially a detailed desktop study was conducted by Dr. Todd Whitelaw, a Fellow of the College (Whitelaw 1990). This considered the available documentary and map information, summarising the known history of the northwest part of the town in general and the area around the College in particular. Phase 2 -1991 FieldAssessment: Following the desktop a field assessment was commissioned in the summer of 1991. This was conducted by Christopher Evans and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) assisted by Dr. Whitelaw (Evans 1991). The assessment showed that up to four metres of archaeology survived beneath the Chapel courtyard. The results of the assessment report are summarised in Part II of this volume. Phase 3 - 1992 Excavation: The main excavations were conducted by the CAU in the summer of 1992. Two trenches, one either side of the Penrose Building, were excavated under the direction of Jim Hunter. The report of that excavation is the main text of this volume. A note describing additional watching brief information follows it. Phase 4 - 1993 Excavation/Watching Brief: A further excavation was conducted by the CAU, under the direction of Janet Miller, in the autumn of 1993 (Miller 1993). This was restricted to the area of the sunken courtyard and allowed a more in-depth examination of the post-medieval levels. The report of that work is summarised in Part III of this volume.

Between 1st and 3rd of April 1996 the Cambridge Archaeological Unit undertook a watching brief of excavated trenches outside the South Porch and Song School of Ely Cathedral. The work was part of an on-going programme of drainage improvements to the south side of the cathedral. The trench ran approximately three metres to the south of the north ambulatory of the cloisters, parallel to the window wall. Three short connecting trenches joined the main trench to the outfall of the rainwater down pipes from the South Porch/Song School roof. The drainage system will run into the system already installed in the north west corner of the cloisters.

This desk top study was commissioned by T. P. Associates Ltd as a preliminary stage to the proposed development of 19-37 Castle Street, Cambridge. The site occupies an area approximately 1450 sq m between Castle Street to the east and St. Peter's Street to the west and includes both street frontages, roughly opposite the Castle mound on the steepest part of the hill slope. The development proposal includes application for planning consent for the construction of a church and student accommodation and will involve extensive rebuilding. In view of the high archaeological potential of the area, the County Archaeological Office advised the Local Planning Authority of the need for the applicant to provide more information on the archaeological implications of the proposed development. In accordance with the Brief issued by the CAO , this desk top assessment will bring together all the currently available information concerning the known and the potential archaeological remains in the immediate area, with a view to predicting the nature, extent and state of preservation of archaeological features within the development zone. The impact of the proposed scheme on the archaeology will be assessed, and this information will contribute in the formulation of any mitigation strategies.

Butterley Aggregates Ltd have commissioned this desktop study in advance of their application for proposed sand and gravel extraction at Bar Pasture Farm, Thorney, Cambridgeshire. The location is east of the city of Peterborough and north of the River Nene in between the villages of Eye and Thorney. The application area is the provisional extraction zone centred on Bar Pasture Farm (TF 25080248) and either side of Willow Hall Lane. This study will assess the potential impact of proposed sand and gravel extraction on the archaeological landscape; drawing on the known archaeology an attempt will be made to predict the likely extent of visible sites and to suggest where others may be located. Archaeological evidence from the study area (a radius of 1km around the application area) was researched to situate the known archaeology of the application area in its local context and to aid interpretation of the patterns of past settlement and land use.

An archaeological investigation was carried out on a length of wall within the southwest corner of the mound at Kirtling Tower. No direct dating evidence was recovered but stratigraphic and comparative evidence was sufficient to identify the wall as belonging to the system of walled gardens around the Tudor Hall which stood on the mound until 1801.