Library
Publishing is a core part of the CAU's work so results from our excavations can be read and used by archaeologists, students, planners and the general public.
For over 30 years the CAU has published twenty monographs along with over 150 articles in academic journals. Many are available to download for free.
All of our site reports produced before October 2022 are available to download for free. Search for them by text or using the map. All our reports and our growing collection of digital archives are permanently accessible at the University of Cambridge's digital repository, Apollo.
Browse the results below
510
An Archaeological Desk Based Assessment for a Proposed Overhead Power Line between Horningsea and Burwell
Evans, C. and Hall, A. (2002). An Archaeological Desk Based Assessment for a Proposed Overhead Power Line between Horningsea and Burwell. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 510
An archaeological desk-based assessment has been undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU). The proposed overhead power line crosses an important fen-edge landscape with numerous known archaeological findspots, notably of the prehistoric periods. For the purpose of this report, a 200 metre wide study corridor (100m either site of the proposed route) has been assigned and all known sites falling within or immediately adjacent to this study corridor will be addressed and discussed within the report. The aims of this study are: 1) To collate and summarise the known archaeology within the study corridor, to list it within a gazetteer table and plot the position of sites and findspots in relation to the proposed development. It will therefore be possible to identify areas of the highest archaeological potential. 2) In addition, an assessment of the state of preservation for such archaeological remains will also be made. 3) The nature of the proposed works and the extent to which this will detrimentally affect the underlying archaeology will also be addressed. The 200 metre study corridor was chosen to enable an assessment of the physical impact on the archaeological resource. 4) The final sections of the report assesses the importance of the archaeological resource within this region and highlight suitable strategies for mitigation within a framework of relevant research priorities.
511
An Archaeological Evaluation at the ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge
Whittaker, P. (2002). An Archaeological Evaluation at the ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 511
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit on land in the yard of the ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge (TL 4494/5881). This was conducted anticipating an application to extend the north side of the Theatre. The trenches revealed deep stratigraphy dating from Roman through to the post-Medieval times. Both trenches evidenced what appeared to be a major landscaping phase, making-up the ground possibly to guard against flooding but also to allow the area to be built on. It can be seen from the old maps that formal gardens were located in this area during the 16th century. Trench 1 evidenced a deep Medieval deposit, 3m from the ground surface, which is possibly part of the western side of the King�s Ditch. Medieval pit and gully features were found in Trench 2, the gullies were probably drainage features feeding into the King�s Ditch. Part of a large Roman ditch survived beneath the medieval features, this dated to the 2nd/3rd centuries AD.
512
Bradwell's Court Cambridge. An Archaeological Desktop Study
Dickens, A. (2002). Bradwell's Court Cambridge. An Archaeological Desktop Study. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 512
This desktop study has been commissioned by the Mills Whipp Partnership on behalf of Land Securities Properties Ltd. This follows a proposal for redevelopment of Bradwell's Court in Cambridge (roughly centred at TL45164 58441). The site is bounded to the north by the blocked Christ's Lane, to the west by St. Andrew's Street, to the south by Emmanuel Street and to the east by Drummer Lane Bus Station. The site extends over a little under 0.3 hectares in area. The archaeological record, though scant for some periods, suggests that this part of Cambridge has the potential to provide evidence of the town's development from the Roman period onwards. Bradwell's Court occupies an interesting position in relation to medieval Cambridge. Clearly it was outside the King's ditch yet, equally clearly, the site was occupied in some form from at least the Conquest onwards, and probably rather before that. Although outside the official town boundary, however, the site is located alongside one of the two routes in from the south. Though perhaps less important in medieval than in Roman times, this �Via Devana� approach to the town d id lead to one of the controlled entry points of the medieval town, the Barnwell gate, putting any inhabitants of "Bradwell's Court" between the traveller and their goal and between the country and the town.
513
Gravel Hill Farm, North-west Cambridge. An Archaeological Evaluation
Mackay, D., Mortimer, R., and Evans, C. (2002). Gravel Hill Farm, North-west Cambridge. An Archaeological Evaluation. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 513
4,325 square metres of trench were excavated on land at Gravel Hill Farm, North-west Cambridge, consisting of 23 trenches and associated judgmental stripping. The vast majority of the evaluation area proved to have seen post- Medieval gravel and coprolite quarrying, with only small areas of undisturbed ground remaining. Within the latter was a ditch producing Iron Age and Roman pottery. A possible Roman stone sarcophagus was also recorded in the garden of a property backing onto the area.
514
Granham's Farm, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire. An Archaeological Evaluation.
Whittaker, P., Evans, C., and Gibson, D. (2002). Granham's Farm, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire. An Archaeological Evaluation.. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 514
In the summer and autumn of 2002, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken in two stages by Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) on land off Granham's Road, c. 5km to the south of Cambridge and immediately north-east of the village of Great Shelford (site centred at TL 470/535). The work was commissioned on behalf of Mandarin Oriental Hotels Group, in advance of the proposed construction of a hotel and landscaped golf course.
515
An Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Cook's Hole Farm, Thornaugh, Peterborough. Phase - 1 Desk Based Assessment.
Cooper, A. (2002). An Archaeological Evaluation of Land at Cook's Hole Farm, Thornaugh, Peterborough. Phase - 1 Desk Based Assessment.. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 515
An archaeological desk based assessment was undertaken by Cambridge Archaeological Unit on behalf of PJ Thory Ltd in October 2002. The proposed development covers about 54 ha of arable and grazing land around Cook's Hole Farm at TL 0519 9978. About 21ha of this land has already been quarried and reinstated, the remainder is now proposed for quarrying. The assessment reveals considerable evidence for past activity, both within and surrounding the Proposed Development Area (PDA). The earliest of this evidence relates to the Neolithic period when a henge monument was constructed in the valley to the north-east. During the Roman period a possible road ran to the south of the site and buildings (including a villa), human burials and numerous iron working sites have been found both in and around the PDA. In the Medieval and Post Medieval periods the villages of Sibberton and Thornhaugh lay to the north-east, a Keepers Lodge and moated platform occupied the centre of the PDA and the surrounding landscape was gradually enclosed. More recently there is evidence of World War II activity relating to the nearby Kings Cliffe Airfield and the land has been widely quarried for limestone. Whilst quarrying is likely to have destroyed much of the archaeology within the PDA, this study shows that there is still significant potential for the discovery of Prehistoric, Roman and later evidence.
516
The Grand Arcade Cambridge. Test Pit Evaluation in the Lion Yard Car Park
Dickens, A. and Cessford, C. (2003). The Grand Arcade Cambridge. Test Pit Evaluation in the Lion Yard Car Park. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 516
Three further archaeological test pits were dug as part of evaluation works ahead of the Grand Arcade redevelopment in Cambridge City centre. These were located within the Lion Yard Carp[ark which was not accessible at the time of an earlier evaluation in 1999. The pits revealed a varied post-depositional history of the site, with no archaeology surviving at the lowest level to the north, a sequence of intercutting 12th century pits in the centre and complete truncation to clay in the south. The conclusion was drawn that whilst no horizontal stratigraphy is likely to have survived there is likely to be intermittent survival of deeper cut features beneath the construction levels of the existing carpark.
517
Excavations at Over. The Church's Rise Sites (Sites 5 & 6)
Evans, C. (2002). Excavations at Over. The Church's Rise Sites (Sites 5 & 6). Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 517
This report documents the excavation of the last two sites to be investigated within the first phase of work at of Hanson's Needingworth/Over quarry. Discovered through evaluation fieldwork in 1996 on the floodplain terraces across the east side of the River Great Ouse below Over and above its junction with the fenland at Earith. The sites involved includes a later Bronze Age paddock system and settlement complex (Site 5) and, 150m to the east, a ring- ditch complex and later Neolithic and Bronze Age terrace-edge occupation (Site 6). Situated on marked local rises at between 1.50-2.00m OD, both lie on the so-entitled Church's Rise terrace
518
Excavations at Kilverstone: Broom Covert (Area E)
Garrow, D. (2003). Excavations at Kilverstone: Broom Covert (Area E). Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 518
This report presents an assessment of the results of an archaeological evaluation and excavation at Broom Covert, Kilverstone, Thetford, Norfolk (SMR 37349) undertaken during August and September 2002 by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit. It follows on directly from four excavations carried out between December 2000 and June 2001 in two fields immediately to the north, and should be read in conjunction with the report produced for those sites. The site was situated within a small parcel of land on the north-eastern outskirts of Thetford (centred TL 8840 8350). A group of 138 Earlier Neolithic pits was recovered, in addition to the 89 pits of similar date found 150m to the north in Area A of the previous phase. These produced large quantities of worked and burnt flint, pottery, quernstones and hazelnuts. A horseshoe-shaped gully was found in association with two pits containing fragments of burnt bone (possible cremations); these features may date to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. Three pits were dated to the Roman period. Six graves and an urned cremation, dating to the Early Saxon period, were recovered. Although the skeletons were in an extremely poor state of preservation, the graves produced a number of grave goods, including spears, knives and a shield boss. One pit was 13th/14th century in date; one ditch and a pit were undated. The results of the excavation are of considerable importance. When viewed in conjunction with Area A, the group of Earlier Neolithic pits represents the largest scatter of that date yet found in Britain. The horseshoe-shaped gully, which may date to the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, adds an extra dimension to the site. The Roman period features suggest a wide area of land-use at that time, extending at least 500m beyond the settlement core recovered in Area C. The Early Saxon burials may represent the edge of a larger cemetery in the vicinity; they certainly enhance our understanding of the local landscape during that period, providing a wider context for the settlement found during the previous chase.
519
Riverside Retail Park, Oundle Road, Peterborough: An Archaeological Evaluation
Cooper, A. (2002). Riverside Retail Park, Oundle Road, Peterborough: An Archaeological Evaluation. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 519
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by a team from Cambridge Archaeological Unit on land at the former British Sugar Factory, Oundle Road, Peterborough (TL 1792 9751) in November 2002. The investigation revealed a t least four ditches of probable Late Bronze Age date as well as postholes, gullies and pits of uncertain date. This evidence compliments the findings of other recent investigations adjacent to the site. Together the results from these investigations suggest evidence of a fairly ephemeral but extensive landscape of later prehistoric activity in the area.
520
An Archaeological Evaluation of Land beside Green Head Road, Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire
Hall, A. (2003). An Archaeological Evaluation of Land beside Green Head Road, Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 520
An archaeological evaluation was carried out during December 2002 on a plot of land beside Green head Road, Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire. This was carried out on behalf of ICD Design and in accordance with a specification of works approved by the Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeology Office. A total of 29 metres of trenching split between three trenches revealed that the area had been extensively quarried for clunch. No in situ archaeological deposits were identified. Residual pottery sherds were encountered within the backfill of the quarry or quarries. The underlying solid geology was only encountered in one trench at 2m depth and only within a limited sondage.
521
Great Dunmow, Essex. Archaeological Evaluation to the Rear of 37 - 61 High Street
Regan, R. (2003). Great Dunmow, Essex. Archaeological Evaluation to the Rear of 37 - 61 High Street. Cambridge Archaeological Unit report no. 521
Archaeological evaluation was carried out to the rear of Great Dunmow High Street prior to the proposed redevelopment of the site. The site lies within the historic core of Great Dunmow with evidence in the general area for settlement from the Bronze Age onwards. The investigation found a small amount of residual Roman pottery with the earliest evidence of settlement activity dating to the 13t h /14t h century. As might be expected activity was more dense towards the High street frontage, with structural activity and levelling accumulations from the 16th and 17th centuries. The extent of the evaluation was limited by public access areas, services and trees so the possibility of more dense occupation evidence in the as yet untested areas cannot be ruled out.
