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Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) have discovered archaeological material ranging from the prehistoric to the medieval period during work on the new Springstead Village development in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. The extensive findings of the excavations, which started in 2022 and will continue until 2027, have recently been revealed.
The work was commissioned by Bellway and Latimer, and is focused on a ridge connecting Cherry Hinton to Teversham. Finds, including a barbed arrowhead, suggest that this ridge was subject to consistent activity in the prehistoric period as a routeway or for farming, but the exposed nature of the area meant the space was probably too windy for settled communities at this time. Craig Cessford, Senior Project Officer at CAU, said that the excavations were ‘particularly helpful in understanding the low-density dispersed later prehistoric activity, in a way that has not been possible locally before.’
The first evidence of settlement comes in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. At this point in the chronology, a number of roundhouses appear which sign-post the site’s earliest communal living. Once their inhabitants had been protected from the elements by their houses, the high-and-dry location of the ridge would have made it a prime location.
Communities continued to form there well into the Anglo-Saxon period, with the area becoming home to a cemetery around the 7th century. Archaeologists believe that two rectangular timber buildings were associated with the burial ground. Multiple graves have been excavated, and the burial styles vary considerably from case to case. CAU revealed that ‘One young individual was buried in a wooden container with iron fittings, there was one double burial, one prone burial, and one crouched burial. At least six graves were deliberately reopened relatively soon after burial, in one case this was while the skeleton was at least semi-articulated.’
It is not just the skeletons themselves which are of interest: the grave goods found in the burials are also noteworthy. Among the finds there were copper-alloy objects, such as buckles, studs, a key, and a finger-ring, as well as iron knives, objects in antler or bone, and beads of various materials. The star find was a copper-alloy reliquary or workbox, decorated with repoussé, which was found cradled in the lap of one of the excavated skeletons. A cowrie shell with attached copper-alloy loop suggests trade links with the Red Sea or beyond.
The site’s chronology continues into the medieval period: five windmill bases and associated wells from this time are among the other features uncovered in the excavations. The site has therefore produced more than 3,000 years of archaeological material.
An open day on 11 May invited the local community to learn about the findings. Ulrich van Eck, Project Director for the Bellway Latimer joint venture, said they were thrilled to have shared the site’s historical journey with local residents. ‘Preserving and documenting these artefacts is essential for future generations, and we are grateful for the community’s support,’ he commented. The huge scale of the excavation, plus potential work on the upcoming Cambridge airport redevelopment has opened up the landscape for further illuminating discoveries, which promise to be revealed through future excavations in the area.
Text: Rebecca Preedy / Image: Craig Cessford/Cambridge Archaeology Unit
