Roman Car Dyke Canal at Denny Industrial Centre: An Archaeological Evaluation

On the 2nd of October 2000, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land at Denny Industrial Centre, Waterbeach (TL 5488 2658), by staff of the Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit. The work was carried out in advance of the proposed construction of a telecommunications monopole.

A single trench was excavated across the development site, which revealed buried deposits within a large ditch, presumed to be the Roman Car Dyke canal. The deposits were encountered at a depth of c1m extending to at least 3.5m below modern ground level and were sealed by later post-medieval layers. The post-medieval deposits may relate to the 17th century when the dyke was re-cut for use as a drain or a catch water, and these were sealed by the modern infill. The evaluation appears to confirm that the presumed route of the Car Dyke canal does follow the route of the A10 and Beech Ditch at this point, however medieval or post-medieval activity may have removed Roman deposits at this point.