A Medieval Waterfront at the Maltings, Ely

In January 1994, the Archaeology Field Unit of Cambridge County Council undertook an archaeological assessment of an area between the Maltings and Riverside Walk (Figure 1), Ely in response to a brief by the County Archaeologist's Office (CAO), on behalf of East Cambridgeshire District Council.

The area assessed is in the vicinity of the medieval waterfront and background research has suggested warehouses, hythes and lanes would lie on the site. A single trench was excavated by machine to reveal medieval deposits which were then hand-excavated. Two, superimposed, medieval banks were discovered overlying deposits of a former foreshore into which a single pit had been dug. The pit and banks were all medieval, dating between 1200-1400, on pottery evidence. In front of the banks the waterfront had been pushed further east by dumping layers of building material (tile, limestone rubble, and small fragments of burnt clay) in succession with layers of clay. the rear of the upper bank had eroded during its lifetime and was refurbished by dumping limestone rubble and tile over the puddled area.

Above the medieval features, a nineteenth century house had been constructed and subsequently demolished, and features representing this were identified. The evaluation adds considerably to our knowledge of the development of the Ely waterfront and the results should be considered when assessing plans for development in the area.