Nos. 4 - 5 Castle Street, Cambridge. An Archaeological Excavation.

Abstract

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at No.'s 4-5 Castle Street, Cambridge, between the 14th and the 25th of November 2011. Despite extensive 19th-20th-century disturbance, 1st-4th-century Roman deposits and features - including a well constructed cobbled surface - survived under the basements. In the rear yard a 3.3m deep stratigraphic sequence spanning the 12th/13th-20th centuries was present with features including a large 12th-13th-century quarry pit, a 14th-15th-century oven and a 16th-17th-century garden/horticultural soil, all features typical of the rear yard area of an urban plot. In the 17th-century a building with a substantial cellar was constructed; this remained in place until the current standing buildings were erected in the mid 19th-century.