An Archaeological Assessment at Huntingdon Racecourse (Areas A and B)

In June 1993, Cambridgeshire Archaeology undertook an archaeological assessment on two areas at Huntingdon Racecourse. This fulfilled the second part of a two stage, pre-planning, evaluation as part of proposals for developing the racecourse.

Recent investigations in the vicinity have produced substantial Prehistoric and Romano-British remains, In the current evaluation, Area A produced extensive settlement remains provisionally dated to the Bronze Age, as well as some evidence of Iron Age activity. Also revealed was a prehistoric stream channel, with associated organic deposits, well-sealed beneath a thick layer of alluvium. Preliminary analysis has shown that, although some drying out of the deposits has occurred, they offer the potential to provide important information concerning the ecology of this ancient landscape. In Area B, evidence of woodland clearance was uncovered along with a series of pits and ditches. These have been tentatively dated to the early Neolithic period. Analysis of material from selected features in both areas was inconclusive in terms of identifying specific activities, but further sampling could well be more fruitful.

In both areas, indications of at least two distinct periods of alluvial deposition were noted. Evidence for occasional flash floods was recorded in some of the less deeply alluviated trenches. These floods would have had tremendous energy and may have been responsible for the truncation of many of the archaeological features.

These archaeological and environmental remains have great potential for extending our understanding of Neolithic land-use and its development in later prehistoric periods, as well as for the causes and dating of episodic alluviation. The possibility also exists that deposits spanning the transition from hunter-gatherers to the earliest farmers survive in Area B. If so, then the site offers a rare opportunity to expand our limited knowledge of this period.