Anglian Water, Caldecote Rising Main Replacement Scheme, Cambridgeshire

The proposed works comprised the excavation of c.sixteen drill pits along the pipeline route. Of these, seven were required to be archaeologically monitored. As stated within the WSI: the archaeological monitoring of the directional drill pits were to be within the areas of known archaeological potential. This included pits through the Iron Age to Roman cropmarks to the north (Drill pits 12 - 15) and area of medieval settlement earthworks (Drill pits 2 - 4). The other drill pits excavated across the scheme fell out of the scope of works and did not require archaeological monitoring. Initially, Drill Pits 2 - 4 were to be excavated by hand, as vehicle movement was restricted. However; track matting was utilised by the contractors to minimise impact on the ground surface from the machine movements, and therefore the monitored drill pits in this area were excavated by machine. Drill Pit 3, in this area, was not excavated as the contractor was able to extend the distance of the drill shot between Drill Pits 2 and 4. Modern land drains were identified in Drill Pit 13 so the contractors excavated an additional drill pit directly adjacent. The drill pits were excavated by the contractors using a mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless bucket. Excavation was conducted under archaeological supervision down to the top of the underlying natural surface geology, which was also the top of the archaeological horizon. A narrow bucket was then utilised to excavate below the natural surface geology to a depth of c.1.5m below ground level. Metal detector searches (non-discriminating against iron) took place throughout the project. This included prior to the drill pits being dug, during the machine excavation and the subsequent hand-excavation phase as well as scanning the upcast spoil. The upcast spoil was also examined visually for the presence of artefactual evidence. In February 2025, Cotswold Archaeology carried out Archaeological Monitoring and Recording during groundworks associated with the installation of a replacement water pipeline by directional drilling in Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. Despite the limitations of the works, the monitoring revealed an undated ditch in Drill Pit 15 and a ditch dated to the Roman period in Drill Pit 13.