Excavations at Alconbury Weald, Stukeley, Cambridgeshire: PXA and UPD

Between September 2014 and April 2017, Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) conducted a series of archaeological investigations on the site of the former Alconbury Airfield, Alconbury, Cambridgeshire (centred on TL 19133 76906). The development area covers an area of 577ha, with the current works (10ha) within an area of 112ha. The investigations considered in this report cover six excavations, two evaluations and two watching briefs. Other evaluations took place amongst these but revealed only limited remains, and these have been reported on separately. Truncation from services and airfield activity reduced the accessible areas to 6.1ha.
The investigations revealed archaeological remains spanning the Middle Bronze Age to post-medieval periods. These were examined in three main areas: at the western end of the airfield runway; to the south of the western end of the runway, in the vicinity of the main clusters of airfield buildings; and to the south of the eastern end of the runway.
The areas excavated at the western end of the runway revealed Middle Bronze Age and Late Iron Age activity. The Middle Bronze Age activity comprised an arc of six cremation pits and three cremation related pits, located 130m to the north of a circular enclosure. The six cremations contained pottery from cremation urns. The Late Iron Age activity concentrated on an earthfast roundhouse and associated enclosure ditch.
The area to the south of the western end of the runway contained the main concentration of activity. This related to Iron Age and Roman settlement and its periphery. The relevant features included ditches that would have surrounded Iron Age and Roman roundhouses, enclosures marking the edges of the settlement areas and the surrounding field systems. Within this, residues of industrial activity were found, although no clear industrial features were identified. Activity in this area dropped away from the 3rd century, with limited ridge and furrow remains. These ridge and furrow remains were disturbed by the airfield and later developments.
The area to the south of the eastern end of the runway primarily revealed alignments of ridge and furrow that corresponded to alignments identified in aerial photographs. The gaps between the remains of the furrows revealed a small number of Iron Age and Roman features that suggested activity took place in the vicinity.
The artefacts recovered from the archaeological investigations included Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, medieval and post-medieval pottery. Animal bone, much of which was well preserved, was also recovered from many of the features. Within the excavations a few more elaborate finds were recovered. These included a carved and polished sword hand guard, potter’s stamps and 1st and 2nd century brooches including penannular, trumpet and bow forms. A Roman glass bead was also recovered from a ditch