Archaeological Investigations on Proposed Parking Bays at the Recreation Ground, Oakington

In May 1994 the Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council carried out an archaeological evaluation at the Recreation Ground, Queens Way, Oakington (TL 416 646) on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council prior to the proposed construction of three parking bays.

The work was carried out in conjunction with the larger scale project of excavating the site of an Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, also situated on the Recreation Ground. The full extent of the cemetery is unknown and thus the proposed parking bays were to be investigated to determine if they may have disturbed some of the burials.

Three machine trenches were opened over the proposed parking bays. No archaeology was detected in any of the trenches. It would seem highly probable that to the west of the existing road, there has been substantial importing of soil related to the construction of existing houses and that the known Saxon cemetery does not extend this far.