A14 Improvement Scheme - Board 28 Brampton Wood

Description

The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme was led by MOLA-Headland Infrastructure (a consortium of Museum of London Archaeology and Headland Archaeology) and was funded by National Highways. These interpretation boards were installed by Cambridgeshire County Council with Oxford Archaeology East as part of a project funded by National Highways.

Excavations revealed that this area was intensively occupied throughout the Roman period. Evidence points to a thriving pottery industry alongside hints of a military presence.

To the northwest, archaeologists uncovered a large enclosure with a wide track leading north. Inside were smaller enclosures and a square, wood-lined well—a feature often associated with towns and forts. Finds from this area included numerous coins, a fragment of a barbed javelin head, an armour fitting, and a horse harness, all suggesting a link to Roman military activity.

Sixteen pottery kilns were discovered here, indicating large-scale production. The pottery recovered shows that the site was occupied for most of the Roman period, highlighting its importance as an industrial hub.

These discoveries give us a glimpse into a busy landscape where industry and military influence shaped life during Roman times.