A Medieval Oven and Ditches at the Railway Mission, Silver Street, Ely: An Archaeological Evaluation

Between the 24th and 27th January the Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridge County Council (AFU) conducted and archaeological evaluation on land located to the rear of the the former Railway Mission at Silver Street, Ely.
No evidence emerged for occupation in the form of ribbon development along the current course of Silver Street, however, it is possible that the the medieval road took a slightly different route. Archaeological features were encountered which suggest that the area may have been close to agricultural activity, possibly part of a farmyard. The features consisted of boundary ditches including a probable enclosure, pits and post-holes, together with an oven or corn-dryer for domestic or agriculutral use. Based upon artefactual evidence, they were dated to the 13th-14th century. Thick post-medieval make-up layers sealed the archaeological features.