Archaeological Investigations: The Bishop's Garden, Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire

An excavation was carried out in the Bishop’s garden in August 1994, in connection with the renewal of the rainwater drainage system to the south of Ely cathedral. Evidence for the twelfth- and fifteenth century positions of the west cloister walk was uncovered. The existing garden wall appears to have been built on the foundations of the 15th century window wall. The footings for the twelfth-century window wall were found to the east of the garden wall. Five metres west of the garden wall, a robbing trench provided evidence for the position of the fifteenth century outer wall of the cloister walk. There was considerable evidence for occupation in the area west of the cloister. Substantial rubble foundation, on an alignment diverging from that of the cathedral, were uncovered east of the south-west transept. South of the transept was a short stretch of rubble wall footings that seem to extend below the wall of the transept. A square-ended foundation block, excavated two metres south of these footings, may be part of the same structure. Occupation deposits were found west of the transept, and south of the cathedral. In the latter area, human bone had been recovered from one of the test pits dug in February-March 1994, but the deposit could not be further investigated as it lay below the level required for the drainage excavation. The scope of the investigation was limited to the requirements of the excavation connected with the renewed drainage system. The findings, however, have shown the site to have considerable archaeological potential, particularly the rubble foundations which may antedate the construction of the cathedral