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Sand and gravel horizons within the application area are covered by 0.80m to 3.80m of alluvial clays. Use of non-destructive investigations (fieldwalking, aerial photography, etc.) would be largely ineffective. The archaeology of the application area was, therefore, investigated be a systematic sample of trial trenches. In the northern field of the application area, these trial trenches (Figures 8.2-8.4) encountered a Romano-British agricultural landscape. This landscape included developed trackways and field boundary ditches. These features almost certainly are associated with the Romano-British settlement, now destroyed, which stood some 100m to the west of the application area. The southern field produced no archaeological features and probably acted as water-meadow. Some of these agricultural features are locally waterlogged though none of them are likely to preserve settlement material. These features do preserve a considerable amount of palaeo-environmental evidence. It is recommended that these features be fully planned and sample excavated, including collecting and processing palaeoenvironmental samples, before the aggregate extraction commences

The whole site of the proposed golf course was walked in lines about 30m apart, chosen to suit the geomorphology of each field and the direction of survey egress. All the farm was planted with crops just emergent. Weathering and surface conditions were good for identification of artifacts and for long distance viewing. The lithic activity was very much higher than expected and presumably relates to the well known prehistoric monuments and cropmarks on the nearby chalk ridge. It is in accord with lithics found to the west of the area (in a gravel pit at TL 416 427 (SMR 04004 and at TL 408 423 (SMR 03984)). There is every liklihood that the activity represents part of the 'settlement' area, and was probably wetter in prehistoric times than now. It lies below the chalk ridge and must collect water, even though this is not visible in the modern, well organised landscape. Most of the lithic collections contain a range of waste flakes and tools and probably represent some form of domestic activity rather than being industrial areas.

An archaeological assessment was undertaken by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit on an area of land adjacent to known Romano-British settlements, at Gravel Digger�s farm, the Lots, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. A number of ditches, including two water-courses, and three pits were revealed. Of these features, only two of the pits and one of the ditches produced any finds at all, and the investigations provided no stratified evidence whatsoever. Most of the features are likely to be of Romano-British date, though this tentative conclusion is reached on circumstantial evidence alone.

This is a preliminary report of the archaeological assessment carried out by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit between 25 March and 2 April 1992. A fuller interpretation of the results will be produced upon completion of both the detailed post-excavation analysis of the artefacts retrieved during the project and the full historical document and map search. The aim of the project was to assess the archaeological potential of the development area in the most efficient and informative way in accordance with the brief set out by the County Archaeologist. Archaeological data derived from the assessment project would then form the basis of recommendations as to any need for further mitigation of impact on the resource.