Archaeological Observations at St John's College Playing Fields, Cambridge. Part I : The Bin Brook Sewer

Under the supervision of C. Evans and T. Whitelaw a 60m long (2.20m wide) machine-excavated trench (T.l) was dug 30-50m south of the main E-W pathway that crosses St John's Playing Fields on the morning of the 30/7/91 (TL 44150/58775). This trench followed the line of a sewer that was then already in the process of being laid in the eastern end of the field. This strategic field assessment programme was hurriedly organized when, 'late in the day', we learnt of this construction programme. The trench was excavated across the middle of the field with the specific aim of determining whether the ill-defined Anglo- Saxon cemetery known to lie north of the pathway extended this far to the south and, if so, to allow for its rapid excavation before the contractor's groundworks reached this point. No human bone nor funerary-related features were found whatsoever. The cemetery could not have extended this far to the south