4 White Hart Lane, Soham, Cambridgeshire

From the 6th to the 20th of June 2016 Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) undertook an archaeological excavation on the proposed site of new housing at 4 White Hart Lane, Soham, Cambridgeshire. A variety of features dating from the Iron Age through to the post-medieval period were identified. Iron Age features included the remains of several post-built structures, along with a possible beam-slot building, pits and a ditch. The presence of Roman features on the site suggests a continuity of activity into this period, although on a much less intensive level.
Ditches possibly belonging to the Late Saxon period were also uncovered. These were perpendicular to that dating from the Iron Age period, suggesting a reorganisation of the local landscape potentially occurred at some point during the 1st millennium AD. Medieval and post-medieval ditches, pits and postholes were also recorded. A further reorganisation of the landscape appears to have taken place during the medieval period, with ditches respecting the current road layout in the sites immediate vicinity.
Excavations undertaken on adjacent land to the south, at the old Church Hall site, High Street (Leonard & Woolhouse 2012), identified contemporary remains, and some features could be traced between the two excavation areas. Taken together, the evidence from these two sites provides an insight into the past land-uses in this part of Soham, as well as addressing a number of research themes.