Investigations in the Great Hall Cellar, Trinity College, Cambridge

This excavation was carried out on behalf of Trinity College, Cambridge by members of Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU), during late July and early August 2000. A sondage measuring 1.70m square by approximately 1.30m depth was hand excavated through the cellar floor below the southern end of the Great Hall. This investigation was in advance of the construction of a 2.00m square by 1.50m deep lift pit, part of the redevelopment of the lift system from the kitchens to the Great Hall above. 12th and 13th century material was retrieved. Even though residual in nature, such evidence is important, suggesting activity within the immediate area during this period. No in situ structural evidence was encountered during the excavation, with the exception of the existing wall foundation. With the gravel extraction activity, this suggests that this was open ground during this earliest phase. The build up of garden soil in later centuries again suggests these are ‘back yard’ deposits, to the exterior of the Michael House Hall. The lack of any Saxo-Norman or earlier features may well be the result of truncation by these later quarry pits. The sequence of garden soil with earlier and later phases of gravel extraction fits well into the broader picture provided by the other archaeological work at Trinity