The Welding Institute, Abington Park, Great Abington: an Archaeological Desk-top Study

This study attempts to define the archaeological potential of land at Abington Park, Great Abington (TL 522 488) and to determine the potential impact of development proposals. The proposed development area covers c. 20 hectares to the west of Abington Hall, bounded by the River Granta to the north, the Pampisford Road to the south and the A11 to the west. The site has great potential from the late prehistoric, Roman, and Saxon periods. Evidence for settlement from these periods has been found along the valley of the Granta within the vicinity of the study area. During the medieval period, the area was part of Great Abington’s open fields, and the strips of ridge and furrow are shown on a map of 1687. This area was probably included in the landscape created by Humphry Repton around Abington Hall in about 1800. The tree belts around the periphery of the site probably date to this time.