Antony Gormley’s Free Object, Trinity College Statue, Cambridge. Archaeological Monitoring

Abstract

Archaeological monitoring was undertaken during the installation of a concrete foundation located on the west bank of the River Cam opposite Trinity College's Wren Library. The foundation is to support Free Object, the latest sculpture in Antony Gormley's Blockwork series, which is on loan to the college as part of its celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the foundation of King's Hall. Excavation to a depth of 0.75m revealed the presence of 18th- and 19th-century made-ground deposits associated with landscaping activity. Below this, borehole observations indicate the presence of an extensive alluvial and paleochannel sequence extending a further 5.5m in depth.