Archaeological recording within the South Aisle of St Bene'ts Church, Cambridge

The Archaeological Field Unit of Cambridgeshire County Council undertook archaeological observation and recording within the South Aisle of St Bene'ts Church on the 20th February 2001.

Removal of the existing floor indicated that archaeological deposits lay at a depth of approximately 0.40m below present floor surface and therefore below the proposed impact of the development. These archaeological deposits consisted of mortared floors and robber trenches. The floors pre-date the Victorian renovations of the church, but due to the absence of artefacts remain undated. However, they are likely to be more recent than the early fourteenth century when a fire is known to have burnt down part of the church. The robber trench is likely to be of Victorian date and corresponds to the line of the former southern wall to the South Aisle which defined the southern extent of the church prior to the 1872 expansion.