Ridgeons' Site, Cromwell Road, Cambridge

Oxford Archaeology East carried out an archaeological desk-based assessment on the Ridgeon's Site, Cromwell Road, Cambridge in February 2015. The site, which covers approximately 3.27ha, is currently occupied by large warehouse type buildings, a car park and a balancing pond, and is earmarked for residential development. Finds of prehistoric material within the vicinity of the site have been somewhat sporadic and appear, for the most part, not to have been associated with in-situ archaeological features. The same is broadly true of the evidence for Roman activity, although there is a possibility that a Roman cemetery existed at Coldham's Common, to the north of the site. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery has been located at Mill Road, to the west of the site, and records exist of isolated archaeological finds dating to the Saxon period in the general vicinity of the development area. During the medieval period the site was owned by Barnwell Priory and formed part of the East Fields of Cambridge. At this time the site was under pasture, which is a relatively non-destructive land use. More recently, buildings were constructed on the proposed site that were associated with the Cambridge to Ely railway which lies immediately to the west.