RAF Cargo Carlisle, Cumbria. Archaeological Assessment and Evaluation Report

In December 2002, an archaeological desk-based assessment and evaluation was undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) on behalf of Crowther Homes of an area surrounding No 4 Site, Cargo, part of the former RAF No 14 Maintenance Unit (14MU) (NY 3680 5960). The site lies immediately north-east of the village of Cargo, c4km north-west of Carlisle, and c2.5 km north of the line of Hadrian’s Wall. The work was undertaken to inform a planning application for a residential development. The assessment involved a search of primary and secondary maps and records held in the Cumbria County Record Office in Carlisle, and the local studies section of Carlisle Library. Records and aerial photographs held in the County Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) at Kendal were also consulted. The desk-based assessment was followed by a visual inspection of the site. This was followed by a programme of archaeological evaluation trenching, which entailed the excavation of 5% of
the study area, and comprised 62 30m x 1.8m trenches. The trenching was undertaken between December 2002 and
January 2003.