An Archaeological Assessment at the Bateman Building, Gonville and Caius

The archaeological assessment took place at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge during the renovation of the Bateman Building. The area of the building destined to house an underground air conditioning unit was investigated. Features containing Roman pottery suggest a small Roman settlement may have occupied land nearby. There is no evidence of early Saxon occupation but Saxo-Norman pottery was found in a variety of features, including pits to extract gravel, a ditch and a cess pit. Two surfaces of clunch/clay probably date to this period. Documentary evidence indicates the area was a garden before its acquisition by the college in 1353. There are no indications of activity between the 12th and 15th centuries however later gardening may have destroyed earlier signs of occupation. The foundations of the stable block built in 1795 survived within the assessment area