An Archaeological Investigation along the Route of the Anglian Water Pipeline between Little Thetford and Cawdle Fen

An archaeological evaluation was carried out by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit for Anglian Water Services Ltd. along a c.1,500m length of the proposed route of a new pumping main between Little Thetford and Ely Cawdle Fen. Six trenches totalling 422m in length were investigated, sited along the line of the pipe trench, representing a c.3% sample of the total easement area and c.20% sample of the total length of the pipe trench itself. Initial work concentrated on the extreme north and south ends of the corridor , areas where there were known archaeological features in the vicinity and where aerial photography indicated the possible existence of further remains. The central part of the corridor, where the pipe crossed areas masked by peat cover was sampled in three areas. No significant archaeological features were recovered in Trenches I and II located in an orchard area at the north end of the corridor near Braham Dock; a number of depressions and possible earthworks in this area probably relating to Post-Medieval ponds or similar features. Trench III revealed the southern side of a lode, identified from aerial photography, running between the Great Ouse and the Braham Farm earthworks complex, again probably of medieval or later date. Two clusters of posts and stakes may be interpreted as revetments or other structural features defining its southern bank. No archaeological features were found in Trench IV. An important and unusually dense concentration of Late Neolithic lithics was found buried beneath the peat at the north end of Trench V, in an area where a number of stone tools have previously been found in the ploughsoil. Here, the peat sequence indicates significant Bronze Age accumulations sealing the well-preserved Neolithic deposits. On the evidence recovered from this narrow trench the full significance of this material cannot yet be determined. It is also impossible to accurately locate the source of the lithic material but it is likely to be derived from working areas located a short distance to the west. A series of environmental samples for macrobotanical and pollen analyses were taken for assessing their potential. At the south end of the corridor in Trench VI, located on the gravels and clays surrounding Little Thetford, a single ditch feature, probably Romano-British forms part of a larger field system, identifiable from aerial photography. This may relate to known scatters of Romano-British pottery recovered from the field immediately south of the investigation area