A Roman trade distribution centre, an abandoned medieval village and three prehistoric henge monuments are among amazing archaeological discoveries that we have uncovered so far for the UK’s biggest road upgrade; Highway England’s £1.5bn A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. 

An archaeologist excavating next to a big pile of pottery

In total, our archaeologists have excavated around 350 hectares – an area around half the size of Gibraltar – making it one of the biggest and most complex archaeological projects ever undertaken in the UK. 

We’ve had 250 archaeologists on the ground, digging more than 40 separate excavation areas, and uncovering new information about how the landscape was used over 6,000 years and about the origins of the villages and towns along the A14 in Cambridgeshire today. The significant findings uncovered include: 

  • A Roman trade distribution centre which would have played a pivotal part in the region’s supply chain, and was linked to the surrounding farmsteads by trackways as well as the main Roman road between Cambridge and Godmanchester. The discovery of artefacts at the site relating to the Roman army indicates that this trade was controlled centrally. 

  • The remains of 12 medieval buildings abandoned in the 12th century covering an area of 6 hectares, the entire layout of the village is discernible, with the remains of up to 40 earlier Anglo-Saxon timber buildings and alleys winding between houses, workshops and agricultural buildings. 

  • A massive early medieval boundary with huge ditches, an imposing gated entrance and a beacon placed on top of a hill overlooking the region. 

  • Three prehistoric henge monuments, which are likely to have been a place for ceremonial gatherings and perhaps had a territorial function. These impressive Neolithic monuments, measuring up to 50 metres in diameter, would have been very important places for our distant prehistoric ancestors. They retained their special significance over the millennia with evidence for later Anglo Saxon buildings at these sites. 

Discover our top facts about the A14C2H archaeology project so far in Top 10: archaeology of A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon 

 

The archaeological programme for the Cambridge to Huntingdon National Highways scheme was carried out by A14 Integrated Delivery Team on behalf of National Highways. Find out more about the A14C2H improvement scheme 

MOLA Headland Research Excavation A14

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