An Archaeological Evaluation at the ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge

Abstract

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.