Series: Cambridge Archaeological Unit unpublished report series

An archaeological trench evaluation was conducted within the car park to the rear of nos.40-52 Newnham Road (properties of Clare College) between 21st-22nd May and 27th-28th September 2012. Four archaeological trenches totalling 25.5m were excavated on two sides of the car park to reveal a deep sequence of 19th - early 20th century garden soil beneath the modern topsoil, overlying rubble and gravel standing. Several 'modern' bottle and pottery dumps had been dug through these garden soils, whilst from the lower sub-soil boundary at around 1-1.2m depth within Trenches 1-3 some Medieval (14th-15th century) coarseware sherds were recovered. Beneath this a number of amorphous-looking soil-filled 'pit-like' features had been cut through the sub-soil into the top of the underlying sandy gravel; the latter containing small amounts of locally-made 14th/ 15th or 15th-century pottery alongside some degraded clay daub, charcoal, burnt flint and small amounts of animal bone. It could not be determined within the small area exposed whether or not these had been dug as rubbish pits, shallow quarries, or were simply artefact-filled Medieval tree-throws. Subsequently, at the rear of the property, from a depth of c.1.4m, Trench 4 revealed a slightly better preserved artefact-filled Medieval soil and a 15th-century curvilinear ditch fragment, the latter cutting through what appeared to be a slightly earlier quarried surface. However, there was no evidence for a property boundary ditch within the area examined. As in the case of the neighbouring properties nos. 34-38 Newnham Road whose backyard plots were examined in 2006, the patchily preserved archaeological evidence suggests a continuation of the occupation or area of activity linked to the 14th-15th century Medieval settlement centred on Malting Lane and Newnham House (formerly the location of Mortimer Manor) and its associated Medieval tenancies.

An archaeological fieldwalking survey was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) on open farmland to the south of Perry, Cambridgeshire along the proposed route of a pipeline forming part of the Grafham Resilience Scheme.Widely dispersed prehistoric worked flints and medieval pot sherds were recovered along with a moderate quantity of post-medieval and modern artefacts

An archaeological trenched evaluation was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) on land behind 100 Histon Road, Cambridge in advance of the sites redevelopment. The trenches revealed no archaeological features or deposits dating prior to the Victorian period although several plough scars and modern pits and postholes were present.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by a team from Cambridge Archaeological Unit on land at 119 Ely Road, Littleport, Cambridgeshire, centred on TL 5641 8560. The results from this evaluation revealed no archaeology or artefacts from the prehistoric or later periods, however, three pits dated to the Medieval and Post-Medieval periods were sampled and recorded.

Between 20th-25th May 2013 the CAU undertook an archaeological trench evaluation at nos. 169-173 High Street, Chesterton following the demolition of the public house and a number of associated buildings. This consisted of 57.5m of trenching dug across the proposed development area (PDA) the centre of which lay at TL 4645 5999. Medieval archaeology was encountered towards the street frontage of no. 169. Amongst the earliest features was a SW-NE aligned ditch dating to the 12th century which cut an earlier NW-SE ditch, whilst to the rear of this lay a series of c. 12th century rubbish pits which appear to have been infilled by the 14th century. In front, set back some 6-7m from the edge of the present High Street, were a number of clunch wall footings associated with one or more Postmedieval (16th-17th century?) dwellings, the base of these walls cutting a Late Medieval (15th century?) dark occupation horizon with good preservation of environmental evidence. During the later Postmedieval period (18th-19th century) a considerable amount of pitting and rubbish deposition took place to the rear of this plot. Meanwhile a possible early boundary ditch to no. 169/ 171 High Street was identified within the adjacent garden/ car park to the rear of no. 173.

A trenched evaluation was undertaken by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit on land located at 19 High Street, Grantchester between 10th and 21st October 2022. The PDA was c. 7900 sqm and consisted of an abandoned garden with an abandoned house and garage. Earthworks, in the form of a ‘hollow way’, crossed the property on an E-W alignment. Five trenches totaling c. 73m in length were excavated using a 9-ton tracked excavator using a 1.6m and 1.8m wide toothless bucket. The length and direction of some trenches had to be adapted to the presence of obstacles such as tree stumps and garden light cables. A wide feature, probably a series of ditches, was not excavated due to the presence of an electric cable. The evaluation identified archaeological activity in the form of pits, ditches, postholes, and gullies. Thirty-three features were excavated and recorded across the five trenches with a concentration in Trenches 1 and 2. Activity on site was mainly dated from the Early Medieval period (Early and Late Saxon periods) and it declined from the Medieval period onwards. The material and environmental assemblages suggest settlement related activities with dumping of domestic waste in pits and ditches. The earthworks, crossing the property on an E-W alignment, had been investigated in 1971 and interpreted as a ‘hollow way’ with three successive roads, defensive Early Medieval ditches with a bank and a potential palisade. A trench set across these earthworks showed that the ‘hollow way’ was made of eleven intercutting boundary ditches, dated from the Early Medieval (Early Saxon) to the Post-Medieval period, with the main ditches dating from the Medieval period.

An archaeological evealuation was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) in the gardens behind 231-247 Milton Road, Cambridge preceding the construction of a new housing development. The evaluation produced no archaeology prior to the medieval period. Of this date evidence of ridge and furrow agriculture was encountered as were a number of post-medieval gravel quarries.

An archaeological evaluation consisting of six trenches measuring between 3.0m and 10.2m in length was undertaken on a 989.1m2 area of land near the centre of Royston, Hertfordshire. Numerous features relating to four distinct phases of activity were encountered. The earliest elements in this sequence were associated with an Augustinian priory founded on the site in 1184; remnants of probable claustral structures were identified from this period, along with at least four burials. Following the Dissolution of the priory in 1537, a manor house was established that appears to have reused several of the earlier monastic buildings. Part of its western range and a probable lodge-house were investigated. After the construction of a new timber-framed mansion in the early 17th century the area was extensively landscaped, before finally being put to horticultural use during the 19th century.

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit was commissioned to carry out recording of the ground floor timber frames within 4 and 5 Peas Hill by Lawrence King Architecture and Design on behalf of the Cambridge Arts Theatre (Figure 1). This was in response to a request by the Cambridge City Council Buildings Conservation Office for further detail about the timber frames to enable decision-making during design for redevelopment of the ground floor.

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) undertook archaeological evaluation of land at 8 Montreal Road, Cambridge, in advance of construction work at the site. Three trenches were dug but no archaeological remains were observed in any of them