Archaeological Investigations at Babraham Hall Institute, Babraham, Cambridgeshire

A number of 'early' gravel extraction pits were excavated. Backfilled with domestic refuse of lst/2nd century AD date, their recovery could suggest Roman settlement within the vicinity. The discovery of silted-up river channels of Post-Medieval date confirm historical mentions of river shift; an associated 'hard' surface indicating that the Granta was 'worked', utilised as a means of transportation and supplying water for mills irrigation and pasture. Following the silting-up of the channels the area was subject to episodes of dumping and levelling. These most likely date to the 1860s when the estate underwent major landscaping before becoming a kitchen garden