April/May 2025
Students and staff from the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit are currently onsite at Wandlebury.
Visitors to the country park will be able to see the dig in action and speak to the archaeologists (pictured above) about their work until 9th May. This includes a free family-oriented public open day on Saturday 3 May 10:30-16:00They’re also keeping a blog of their findings – check it out here
Wandlebury’s archaeology dates back over 2,000 years and at its centre lies the remains of a nationally important Iron Age hillfort, which is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Over the next five years, targeted excavations and analysis will explore important questions designed to reveal more about the history, and prehistory, of the Wandlebury hillfort and its archaeology.
The excavations will also help to train the next generation of archaeologists.
Wandlebury has been occupied for over 2,000 years and at its centre lies the remains of a nationally important iron-age hillfort, which is protected as an ancient monument. Students and staff from the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit will be carrying out the excavations.
Dr Oscar Aldred, Senior Project Officer at Cambridge Archaeological Unit is looking forward to getting started, “The five-year investigations at Wandlebury are a really exciting opportunity to train the next generation of archaeologists and to re-tell the prehistory and history of a prominent site in the landscape. Our particular focus this year is to prepare the ground to answer important archaeological questions by assessing the inside of the hillfort, how well-preserved it is, as well as begin to gain a better understanding of the possible hillfort entrance.”
The Country Park is owned and cared for by local charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future, Allan Scott-Davies is the Estate Manager, “We are really pleased to be partnering with the archaeologists, and we are hoping that they will be able to uncover more about Wandlebury’s fascinating history. We run a popular Iron-Age Outdoor Education Programme for schools so it would be great to share that knowledge with the children when they visit. The last time we had archaeologists at Wandlebury our visitors loved seeing them in action and finding out more about their finds.”
In 2024, archaeological excavations at Wandlebury by the Department of Archaeology and the Cambridge Archaeology Unit discovered a later Bronze Age ditch (c. 1500-800 BC) that was reused to support a wooden palisade during the Iron Age.
Following this work, geophysical surveys, techniques that use the properties of the soil to map archaeology below the ground, were carried out by Magnitude Surveys and the Archaeology RheeSearch Group. These surveys explored areas inside and outside the hillfort and the results they produced helped archaeologists decide where to investigate ion 2025.
The 2025 excavations will use a combination of trenches and test pits, 2m x 2m squares dug into the ground, to examine the preservation of the buried archaeology in the interior of the hillfort. They will also allow archaeologists to investigate anomalies identified by the geophysics and get an idea of what they are and their potential dates (likely to be either prehistoric, Roman, medieval or 17th-century and later).
While this year’s work is focused on gaining a better understanding of the preservation of Wandlebury’s archaeology, it’s results will also contribute to the five-year research strategy’s wider questions. From these excavations and their analysis archaeologists are hoping to:
• Better understand the hillfort’s history, including before, during and after its construction
• Improve the dating of the hillfort and its types of occupation at Wandlebury, from the late Bronze Age to the present day
• Investigate the development of the hillfort as a monument and explore its place in the landscape alongside other monuments
• Understand the social value of the hillfort. What role did it have for the communities associated with it?
Check out the students’ blog of their findings here
