| Title: |
Mantles Garage Site, St. Barnabus Road, Cambridge. An Archaeological Desktop Assessment |
| Number of Pages: |
15 |
| Biblio Note |
Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database.
The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions.
|
| Publication Type: |
Report
|
| Abstract: |
An archaeological desk based assessment was undertaken as a preliminary stage in the process of seeking planning consent for a residential development. Given the rapid expansion of Cambridge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the almost complete lack of archaeological observation accompanying that expansion, the apparent paucity of evidence in this southern area need not have necessarily implied a lack of activity in past times. Where Roman remains had gone largely undetected, it was even more likely that the less easily identified evidence for other periods, such as prehistoric and early medieval would have gone unrecognised in the building boom of the Railway Age. The foundations of the standing buildings may have damaged the underlying deposits, particularly where cellars existed in the late Victorian properties. Two former inspection pits in Mantle's current reception area would have also had an impact on below-ground deposits. However, the locations of the 19th/20th century buildings had remained largely unchanged throughout the modern period. Thus the open areas between the existing buildings should be relatively undisturbed with the exception of the petrol tanks that supplied three petrol pumps standing to the east of the reception and showrooms. Prehistoric finds within the development area could not be ruled out, given that prehistoric activity was predominantly found on gravel subsoils, but there was no existing evidence to aid determination one way or the other. The proximity of the Roman road to the west and the enigmatic reference to the Roman enclosure/encampment to the south demonstrated that activity in that period was certainly taking place, a picture that was enhanced by a scatter of chance finds of Roman material in the vicinity. Further north recent excavation had found features indicating Roman activity, although considerably damaged by the depth of modern foundations. Thus evidence for rural settlement from this period was a distinct possibility within the undisturbed areas of the site. In conclusion, the period from which finds were most likely to be made was the Roman. However evidence for activity, both pre- and post-Roman could not be ruled out, given that the locality was developed in the late Victorian period when any evidence for earlier land-use may well have gone undetected. The post-medieval map sequence indicated that the area was rural until the later 19th century, so whilst some evidence of agricultural practice of that period may have survived, more intensive findings were less likely. [Au(adp)] |
| Author: |
Mary Alexander
|
| Publisher: |
Cambridge Archaeological Unit
|
| Year of Publication: |
2001
|
| Locations: |
| Location - Auto Detected: |
Cambridge |
|
| Subjects / Periods: |
|
20TH CENTURY
(Historic England Periods)
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|
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PREHISTORIC
(Historic England Periods)
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| Early 20th Centuries (Auto Detected Temporal) |
| Prehistoric (Auto Detected Temporal) |
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MEDIEVAL
(Historic England Periods)
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|
| Railway Age (Auto Detected Temporal) |
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VICTORIAN
(Historic England Periods)
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|
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MEDIEVAL
(Historic England Periods)
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|
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ROMAN
(Historic England Periods)
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|
| Later 19th Century (Auto Detected Temporal) |
|
| Note: |
Date Of Issue From:
2001
Date Of Coverage From:
01
Date Of Coverage To:
01
Editorial Expansion:
Site name: MANTLES GARAGE SITE, ST. BARNABAS ROAD, CAMBRIDGE
Study area: 0.53ha
Investigation type: Desk-based
District: Cambridge
Monument:
Ngr: TL46105750
Parish:
Postcode: CB1 2XN
|
| Source: |
BIAB
(Archaeological Investigations Project (AIP))
|
| Created Date: |
19 Jan 2009 |
