In 2023, a very exciting project will unfold in the quiet countryside around Cambridge.
Working with Cambridgeshire Constabulary, we’re undertaking an excavation in support of a planning application for a new police station. The site itself is a little to the west of the village of Milton and sits within a rural landscape that’s already shown to be rich in archaeology.
We know there’s a great deal of past activity here from previous investigations in neighbouring developments. Evidence has revealed occupation stretching back through the Roman, Iron and Bronze Ages, with some rare finds coming to light, such as the two Iron Age wooden log ladders (dating between 800 and 400BC), as well as the significant discovery of a Roman barrow! Fieldwalking has also uncovered potential signs of Mesolithic hunting and possible Neolithic flint assemblages, all of which points to a long history of use around the village.
It’s a landscape that’s inspired many archaeological investigations to date and we’re eager to start uncovering what lies beneath the soil of our site over the coming weeks and months.
What are we expecting to find?
You can never truly know what will be discovered during any excavation. However, our expectations for this site are high. We believe it has the potential to contain Roman agricultural buildings, yards, and environmental evidence for corn drying and/or malting, dating to the 3rd – 4th centuries AD. This follows preliminary investigations and analysis, including a desk-based assessment, geophysical surveys and twenty-six trial trenches.
From what we’ve seen, the signs suggest there was a farmstead of relative affluence nearby, possibly even a Roman villa. This bodes well for the excavation to bring to light some fascinating finds.
Watch the project unfold each week!
We’re thrilled to be working with Cambridgeshire Constabulary to show you this exciting excavation as it progresses from week to week. We’ll bring you the highs and the lows of the archaeological process, give you an in-depth look at our archaeologists at work, and highlight the great finds and fantastic moments that show how an excavation like this is undertaken.
Read more in our announcement here.
See the first week’s update from site here.