Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit unpublished report series

<summary>Excavations, supported by fieldwalking, geophysical survey and monitoring, were conducted at sites, identified from archaeological sources, which lay in the path of a 17km pipeline. Several features were revealed, most notably a Roman site at Whiteland Spring tentatively interpreted as a Roman temple. {italon}AIP{italoff} {italon}SMR Primary Record Numbers:{italoff} 10548 - 10551

<summary>Excavation supported by fieldwalking and metal-detecting, in advance of pipe-laying, revealed extensive Roman remains. The site had previously been investigated in the 19th century. The 1990 investigation produced evidence of a wealthy and extensive settlement in an area of concentrated Roman activity. Prehistoric and later finds were recovered, but the only other features revealed were middle Iron Age storage pits, suggesting a settlement nearby. {italon}AIP{italoff} {italon}SMR Primary Record Numbers:{italoff} 9841

A watching brief and excavation during excavation of waste pits revealed Iron Age and Roman settlement. A large number of features were exposed, including a Roman barn and oven and Iron Age enclosures and buildings. The site represented several periods of activity with potential to elucidate the Romanisation of Britain. [AIP]

Eleven trial trenches were excavated across the 2ha site. The evaluation showed that the site was probably settled during prehistoric and Roman periods. The prehistoric evidence pointed to a period at the end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age. Evidence for prehistoric settlement occurred in all the trenches, the evidence in the northern trenches was not obscured by activity dating to the Roman period and comprised a least two rectangular ditched enclosures associated with evidence for timber buildings and rubbish pits. The small quantity of pottery recovered from this area of the site may have indicated an early date for the occupation, or possibly a variation in its character. The southern area of the site showed evidence for settlement in the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age and Roman periods. Rectangular ditched enclosures on two distinct alignments were found in the more southerly trenches, and continued to the north. This area of settlement was probably bounded on its north side (trench 5) by a metalled surface, possibly a track or holloway. To the south of this track feature density increased dramatically towards Fordham Road. The most southerly of the trenches (trench 10) contained ditches and pits of both prehistoric and Roman date. Roman features contained large quantities of well preserved Roman pottery, roof tiles and animal bone. This coupled with evidence for timber buildings strongly suggested the presence of a Roman settlement on this site. Recent evaluation to the west of the allotments indicated that the Roman settlement continued to the west. The boundaries of the prehistoric and Roman settlements on this site were not uncovered and were likely to have continued beyond the confines of the development area. [Au(abr)]