Archaeological evaluation trenching at Whittlesey Washes, between Stanground and Whittlesey, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire

On the 21st and 22nd October 2013, Oxford Archaeology East excavated and recorded 18 Trenches, as part of the Whittlesey Washes flood defence works carried out by the Environment Agency, between Stanground and Whittlesey (grid references 521050/297400 to 522500/297800).
A complex Bronze Age buried landscape is known to be persevered in the area of the development with surviving mortuary monuments, settlements and activity areas as well as harbourage and boats creating a potential risk of the proposed works impacting on the underlying heritage assets. Therefore the trenching was carried out to assess whether the works would have a significant impact on these assets (National Planning Policy Framework, Department for Communities and Local Government 2012).
The trenches revealed heavily degraded peat and some indications of fenland edge around an island or higher ground within the fenland area. No archaeologically significant features or deposits were present.