Abbey field. Traditional Cache
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Abbey Fields community archaeology project
Throughout 2006 the Abbey Fields Community Archaeology Project took place in Thorney, centred on the ancient remains at Abbey Fields. These lie to the west of Thorney Abbey and contain remains dating from at least medieval times. The project was funded by a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative (opens in new window) Funds and is a joint venture with The Thorny Society (opens in new window), Peterborough Regional College (opens in new window) and professional archaeologists from Cambridgeshire County Council.
The project has been a huge success with the whole village becoming involved. It began in earnest in May when archaeological surveys (geophysical, phosphate and earthwork) were carried out by students of Peterborough Regional College and archaeologists. Local villagers were able to join in and learn how these scientific techniques reveal what lies hidden beneath the ground.
A coffee morning in July (the annual Church Street event) had exhibitions on Thorny Abbey and Abbey Fields, while a guided walk in July was attended by over 60 people. The archaeologists visited Thorny’s Duke of Bedford Primary School and gave talks on the town’s history and archaeology.
August and September saw the main element of the project with the community dig, when a small team of archaeologists were on hand to train and help local volunteers (many from The Thorny Society) and archaeology students from Peterborough Regional College. Nearly seventy volunteers worked on the dig, with between twenty and thirty being present each day. Daily tours explained the results of the excavations to the locals and media coverage appeared on the radio, in newspapers and on television. The pupils of the Duke of Bedford School all visited the excavation at the start of the autumn term.
The results of the excavation were excellent with the discovery of a Bronze Age ditch, possibly the oldest evidence of human occupation at Thorny some 2,500 years ago. The volunteers also excavated a medieval building that proved to be the 13th-century brewhouse – this might have given its name to ‘Brewhouse Close’, the historic name for this part of Abbey Fields. This building still had its 700 year-old walls and floor intact and produced large amounts of pottery and other finds which will shed light on the life of the monks at Thorny.
Fieldwork has now finished for 2006 and work has begun on the painstaking analysis of the precious artefacts and detailed archaeological records. A report will be produced for the Historic Environment Record (opens in new window) at Peterborough Museum.
In 2007 a permanent on-site display will be produced for Abbey Fields as well as a leaflet detailing the site’s fascinating past. It is hoped that further research and investigations will follow
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgjrra pbapergr naq zrgny be gur bgure jnl Ebhaq.
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