Cambridge Archaeology Field Group

Excavation at Wimpole Hall in July 2000

Following on from the Groups excavation In July 1999 of the brick foundations of a substantial 18th century 'Summer house' in the grounds of the National Trust owned Wimpole Hall near to Cambridge (see 1999 Excavations), The Group was again invited to Wimpole Hall by the National Trust to locate and excavated one section of the extensive garden walls that bounded the gardens that existed in in the late 18th century and which were replaced by open parkland when the estate was landscaped.

Also a section of old trackway that served the hamlet that was moved when the estate was set up was excavated.

When the garden walls were demolished the contractor was scheduled to remove all trace of them so that subsequently no parch marks would show up in the grassland that replaced the gardens. However it was not known whether the foundations were actually removed.

Our excavation showed that indeed virtually all the wall and its foundation was removed.  A most surprising discovery was that in the garden the flower beds had been dug out to a depth of around 4 feet and the clay soil replaced with a more fertile soil.