Archaeological Field Evaluation, Cambridge
The site lay close to a defended Late Iron Age settlement comprising several huts and a 3m wide ditch, which in the 1st century AD, appears to have been commandeered by the Roman army, who recognised its strategic value.
In Brief
Key Points
- Area of high archaeological potential northwest of Cambridge City centre
- Located in an area of Iron Age settlement near the Roman walled town of Durolipons
- Close to 8th/9th century Saxon settlement and the scheduled remains of the Norman motte and bailey castle which was refortified in 1643 during the English Civil War.
- Evaluation required prior to demolition of a 15-bed care home and construction of replacement building
Summary
Overlooking the crossing of the river Cam, the military site lay at the intersection of two Roman roads and was later rebuilt as a walled town.
The area continued to attract settlement during the Anglo-Saxon period and was the site of a Norrman motte and bailey stronghold, which was re-established in the mid-17th century as a Civil War fortress.
Three evaluation trenches were opened in an area of c.753m².
Results
Although located in an area rich in archaeological discovery, the trenching revealed no archaeological features or deposits.
This result may be attributed in large part to previous uses of the site, with disturbance identified in the form of made-ground deposits or sub-base, which in turn overlaid material arising from the demolition of earlier buildings.
