Downham Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire. An Archaeological Excavation

Abstract

Following a trial trench evaluation undertaken in 2009 the Cambridge Archaeological Unit undertook a further programme of excavation on two targeted areas on land near Downham Road, Ely. The excavation exposed a single Early Iron Age pit, which contained a significant assemblage of pottery and animal bone. However, the main activity consisted of a complex of Roman fields, a number of which contained 'planting beds', and an area of Middle Saxon settlement, which is presumed to relate to the West Fen Road food producing site associated with Ely ecclesiastical centre (Mortimer et al 2005, Wright 2015). Identification of considerable accumulations of alluvium and colluvium attests to the environmental impact of intense settlement of the Coveney area of Ely from the Iron Age onwards.