St. Botolph's Church, Longthorpe, Peterborough: An Archaeological Watching Brief

On the 17th January 2005 the Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit was called to monitor groundworks for an extension to St. Botolph's Church, Longthorpe. A stripped area for a new floor and a foundation trench were examined. The only potentially interesting archaeological find of the watching brief was the discovery that the foundations of the chancel appeared to be of two phases. The SMR records that there was a 'Chapel belonging to Peterborough Abbey at Longthorpe c.1189' and that in 'c.1262 - 1273 old chapel taken down and rebuilt on new site at insistence of Sir William of Thorpe' (SMR01927). The fabric of the present building is thought to be 13th century, so maybe it was built on the same site, or utilised an older church building site.