Monitoring of the excavation of ponds and channels at Rhymes Reed Beds, Holme Fen, as part of the Great Fen Project

Archaeological monitoring during works associated with the excavation of new ponds and channels was carried out by Oxford Archaeology East at Rhymes Reed Beds, Holme Fen (TL 2060 9040 centred) during Arpil to September 2013. Work was carried for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust as part of the Great Fen Project.
No archaeological features were found but the works, which included sampling for palaeoenvironmental remains and additional borehole survey, have added to the understanding of the peat formation and deposits within the region and further defined the locations of deposits associated with Whittlesey and Trundel Meres and associated medieval channels that fed into the Whittlesey Mere that were identified in the borehole survey. Palaeoenvironmental samples identified plants typically associated with wetland Alder Carr woods.
In addition, the putative location of the crash site of Spitfire X4593 was also metal detected and aluminium debris probably associated with the plane was recovered.