24 Thompson's Lane, Cambridge: An Archaeological Investigation

An archaeological investigation consisting of two trenches covering a combined area of 30m2 was undertaken in advance of redevelopment on a 610m2 area of land at 24 Thompson's Lane, Cambridge, a little to the north of the historic core of the city. A number of features relating to five distinct phases of activity were encountered. The earliest elements in this sequence comprised a series of alluvial deposits that formed from Prehistoric times up until the 14th century, and which included a distinctly drier episode during the Roman period. Then, from the 14th to the 16th centuries, the area was gradually 'reclaimed' by the introduction of numerous dump deposits before becoming incorporated into an area of widespread riverside development undertaken in the early 17th century. The route of the King's Ditch, the Medieval boundary to the city, appears to have been moved at least twice over the course of this period; having run at first adjacent to the southern perimeter of the site, it was apparently recut in the late 13th century along a new alignment parallel to the northern boundary of the area. Then, at some time between 1607 and 1609 (during a period in which St John's College owned the land to either side of the ditch), this recut was backfilled and the original route of the boundary re-established. Following this final reorganisation, any pre-existing structures on the site were demolished and a new series of buildings constructed. Although rebuilt, extended and modified several times - most notably when a series of brewers occupied the site between 1788 and 1902 - the layout of these buildings remained relatively unaltered until the early 20th century