Library

An assessment was carried out for Peterhouse College in August 1994. Reassessment of aerial photographs and a resistivity survey, conducted prior to the trenching programme, confirmed the presence of three ring ditches thought to be ploughed out barrows. The trenching and test pitting programme, combined with bucket sampling of the background artefact density, revealed a very low level of both archaeological features and artefacts. The only certain features identified were the ditches of the putative barrows. Excavation revealed the northern arc of the northernmost ring ditch which was not visible in either the aerial photographs or geophysical survey. On excavation this section of ditch had much higher density than expected of post-medieval material. Further excavation of the southernmost ring ditch produced flint and bronze age pottery fragments and a central cremation was revealed. With the features confirmed as prehistoric the high incidence of post-medieval material in one of the ditches is now thought to be the result of rabbit or root activity, for which there was other evidence across the site.

Although generally confirming the results of the 1993 evaluation, earlier features were recorded during a second archaeological investigation at Forehill and Lisle Lane, Ely (TL 5458020). Later Medieval field and ponds/wells were excavated, the latter possibly indicating the establishment of residential buildings along the Lisle Lane frontage. A 15-16th century garden soil horizon was found bounded in the north by an east-west wall, probably relating to the formal garden depicted on Speed's map of 1610. During the mid-late 16th century a small rectangular building was added to the north side of this wall. It underwent two phases of activity before being demolished and robbed previous corporate-scale dumping during the late 16-19th centuries. Gullies and postholes relating to recent property divisions, prior to the construction of Forehill Brewery inc. 1885, were also found.

Archaeological survey and excavation was conducted along the route of Anglian Water's Isleham link main pipeline, and a main water supply pipeline installed between Isleham and Ely in southern Cambridgeshire. This work constituted the main phase of archaeological fieldwork and concentrated on the remains of prehistoric settlement of the ancient Isleham peninsula and its fen-edge. Previous evaluation of the rest of the route had shown little, or low-status archaeology being present in the pipeline corridor. A full suite of investigative techniques was employed to extract information from the ploughsoil which had already been seen to be a major repository of artefacts, brought up after each year's ploughing. The extent to which these relate directly to underlying earth-cut features was crucial for the reconstruction of the former manipulation and exploitation patterns in the landscape. The excavations were enhanced by the presence of a well preserved former channel of the River Snail, environmental evidence from which has been able to establish the vegetational and climatic history of periods before, during and following settlement from the early Neolithic period. This information, combined with physical cultural evidence, has now become an important regional sequence for defining the major environmental boundaries and how they changed through human action. The importance of the environmental evidence was matched by the artefact assemblages which consisted largely of worked stone (flint) dating from early Neolithic to early Bronze Age occupations. In addition, the discovery of a unique miniature antler bow from an early Bronze Age settlement at Prickwillow Road, Isleham, endorses the importance of this area as a settlement locale and also its cultural history. The Anglian Water Pipeline formed a corridor of investigation through an area rich in prehistoric settlement and permitted its investigation through a variety of complementary archaeological techniques . Together, these create an impression of settlement character and the environment in which they are set. This work forms a significant contribution to our understanding of human occupation and adaptation of the south-eastern fen-edge.

In the midst of designing an evaluation programme for the proposed riverside extension to/refurbishment of the Thornton Building (1909), it was noticed that an Anglia Water inspection pit was being dug in the lane beside its eastern end (TL 44607/58543). This was duly recorded, following agreement with the County Authorities that it could serve as an alternative to on-site evaluation trenching. Although lying c. 50m upslope from the proposed building extension itself, the reason for this immediate response was due to the limited size of the Library site and problems of undertaking any trial trenching there given that it is presently covered with a storage building and paved terrace (i.e. so small that trial trenching could remove most of the site's deposits and a delayed evaluation would lead to a 'rolling' excavation programme). The test pit sequence is reported below with an historical summary of the site.

An archaeological investigation was carried out in the gardens of the Old Rectory at Wimpole Hall. Excavation demonstrated a high level of modern disturbance caused by t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f services. I t also, however, revealed t h e surviving internal wall foundations of an earlier (possibly 18th century) structure associated with the Rectory which e x h i b i t e d evidence of re-used b u i l d i n g stone.

A programme of archaeological evaluation was commissioned by Hunting Gate Anglia Ltd at Swan Bridge, Parson Drove, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in an area of proposed housing construction. It was carried out between the 9th and the 14th of February 1995. The area under evaluation covered approximately 0.5 hectares of (levelled) modern agricultural buildings with associated yards, open spaces and tree cover. The proposed development comprises the construction of 20 bungalows and houses with access roads, services and landscaping. Any archaeological deposits within the development area will be severely disturbed. The principal aim of the evaluation was to determine the nature, extent, date and state of preservation of any surviving archaeological remains within the development area. Within this a particular objective was to investigate the presence or absence of a putative Romano-British droveway, seen as a cropmark on aerial photographs crossing the site NW-SE, and to identify any settlement/field system elements associated with it.

A combined programme of archaeological evaluation and rescue excavation was commissioned by London Brick Co. Ltd. at Stonald Field, Kings Dyke Pit, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, in an area of proposed clay extraction covered by Interim Development Order permission. It was carried out between the 24th of October and the 16th of December 1994. Three areas, totalling 29.3 hectares, are eventually to be taken into existing quarries (Areas A and B at the west and east of the King's Dyke Pit and Area C at the west of Star Pit further south), and the quarry expansion into these areas has necessitated preliminary evaluation of their archaeological potential ahead of any ground works. Evaluation of Areas A to C will take place at a future date. The principal objective was to determine whether settlement or other archaeological remains were present, and if so to investigate their date, nature, extent and state of preservation, especially pertaining to the known Romano- British settlement site (Whittlesey 14; Hall 1987) which lies to the west in Area A, and the putative Roman Road, the Fen Causeway, which borders the site to the south.

Excavation of service trenches within the grounds of Babraham Hall revealed a fine pebble surface, two very wide, shallow, nineteenth century pits, probably quarry pits, and a later rough cobbled surface. The absence of a B horizon over part of the site demonstrated that truncation has occurred within the application area and may relate to the general landscaping of the Hall grounds inthe19thcentury.

This desk-top study was commissioned by Travers Morgan on behalf of The Imperial War Museum. The project consists of a desk top study of the known and potential archaeology of an area comprising c. 76 hectares.

Limited excavations were undertaken between the 11th - 15th November 1994, prior to the construction of two houses off Silver Lane, Needingworth (TL 345722). The SMR records that pottery dating to the Roman, Saxon and medieval periods has been recovered from the adjacent gardens. The scope of the fieldwork was to discover the presence or absence of archaeology through machine dug (JCB) trenches. These trenches formed two T-shapes and were placed within the confines of the house plans. Except for one residual flint flake, no other evidence of prehistoric activity was found. A 1st century (Late Belgic/Early Roman) presence is attested in the vicinity by pottery, but no structural evidence dating to this period was discovered. The site may have been used for agriculture during this period. Areas of the site have obviously enclosed by ditches over considerable periods of time. Gravel extraction has also taken place at differing times, mostly during the 14�16th centuries. Subsequent to this gravel extraction activity, the site has undergone at least two episodes of levelling, associated with dumping of gravelly grey/brown silty sand. This levelling is sealed by a very humic friable loose dark grey brown silty loam, which is the product of the orchard and piggery which have occupied the site this century.

The results of previous watching brief cover in the quarry, whilst 'intriguing', demonstrated that the evidence of dispersed prehistoric settlement recovered could not be adequately dealt with during overburden stripping. Previous evaluation in the field to the west permitted some overview of the area's archaeology (e.g. character of deposits, alignment of boundaries; Evans 1995). Therefore, when approached to extend the watching brief cover to the next phase of stripping an alternative programme was proposed: employ what funds were available to excavate trenches across the area (6ha; TL 357723; stripping had already occurred across the easternmost 50m of the area before this work commenced). Although not ideal, this approach has the advantage of sample control and provides positive evidence of large-scale land-use patterns. Based, moreover, on the results of the evaluation, this technique was particularly appropriate to further trace the extensive prehistoric fieldsystem found in the western field. Although nuances of layout surely evaded the programme, a broad 'picture' of land-usage was recovered. Not only was the fieldsystem further traced and the settlement delineated on the hill/island top, but a major ring-ditch also found. Upon its discovery additional funds were duly applied for and received from ARC Ltd, enabling it to be stripped almost in its entirety (c. 80%) and thoroughly sample-excavated. The excavation was not 'perfect' and more sophisticated programmes could be envisaged (e.g. grid-sample chemical testing and excavation of the buried soil across its interior). Yet given that the ring-ditch was totally 'unannounced' (i.e. no visible cropmarks) and the response was necessarily rapid, this rapid excavation can be considered 'adequate' to its sequence. Due to limited resources and with general knowledge of early settlement distribution through the previous evaluation, trenching was concentrated within the northern two thirds of the field. Whilst at risk of biased retrieval, this proved fortuitous. After the trenching was completed, it was decided that the low quality gravel over the southern end of the field did not warrant extraction; the altered quarry edge roughly coinciding with the ring-ditch. It was, therefore, proposed and provisionally accepted that the monument would be preserved. However, shortly before the completion of excavation, the topsoil stripping crew mistakenly backfilled much of the site, severely damaging its surfaces. In alarmed response permission was granted to re-open the area and the excavation completed. However given the degree of damage, the ring-ditch can no longer be considered a worthy candidate for preservation.

An outbreak of dry rot led to the lifting of the floors in both of the toilets immediately north of the Chapel, and flagstones within the intervening 'F Stair Passage, during the winter break of 1994/95 (TL 45235890). The main area of excavation was in the Men's toilets (immediately south of the Fellow's Cloak Room) and extended beneath the passageway stairs (Area A; fig. 2; 27sq m in total).