A15 Werrington to Glinton Upgrading: An Archaeological Desktop

Proposals for upgrading the A15 between Werrington and Glinton (TF 159 038 - TF 154 053) along a new route have led to the need for archaeological investigations. This desktop comprises the first component of the investigation. It includes documentary research, cartographic study, fieldwalking, and geophysical survey. The area for the proposed development is generally well researched, by the Fenland Project, the Welland Valley Project, and the Nene Valley Research Committee, with a rich pre-historic and Romano-British landscape being known. The immediate route of the new road, however, is less well known; documented and mapped examples of archaeological remains along it are rare. Fieldwalking failed to identify clear concentrations of material that might represent sites. Geophysical survey has identified a number of anomalies which may have archaeological significance and these will require examination by evaluation trenching. Additional trenching along the route would be advisable to confirm the lack of archaeological remains in areas where geophysical survey did not identify anomalies. Evaluation trenching, if successful in identifying surviving archaeological remains, may lead to a further stage of excavation or suggestions of mitigating measures to reduce the impact of the development on archaeology.