Description

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Thornhill Estates Limited (The Client), to undertake an archaeological excavation on land adjacent to 79 High Street, Offord D’Arcy, Cambridgeshire (the Site). The Site is centred on NGR 521990 266510. The excavation was undertaken to meet a condition of planning consent following an archaeological evaluation of the Site on the advice of the archaeological advisor to Cambridgeshire County Council. The excavation lay in the east half of the Site and comprised two areas, totalling approximately 475 square metres, representing the footprint of a proposed new building (Area 1) and a trench within the soft landscaping area to the west of the building footprint (Area 2).
The excavation produced a small finds assemblage, the date range of which is prehistoric to post-medieval, with an emphasis on the post-medieval period. On the basis of the initial spot dating of the pottery, the archaeological features and deposits encountered at Offord D’Arcy have been grouped into two periods, comprising early medieval and post-medieval with a small number of undated features.