First archaeological dig in almost 30 years begins

The team from Cambridge University will hold two open days for people to observe the dig and speak to them

Archaeologists are conducting the first dig in a country park for almost 30 years.

Wandlebury Country Park invited teams from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Archaeological Unit on a two-week dig.

They will investigate the archaeological past of Wandlebury, where excavations were last carried out between 1994 and 1997.

The park, near Cambridge, is celebrating its 70th anniversary after it became a public open space on 26 April 1954.

Wandlebury sits on top of a small chalk hill and is home to an Iron Age hillfort, referred to as the Wandlebury Ring, which is around 1000ft (300m) in diameter.

The Wandlebury hillfort has Historic England scheduled monument status, which means the site is protected to preserve the archaeology under the surface.

The current excavations will take place outside the scheduled area.

The site is home to an Iron Age hillfort, referred to as the ‘Wandlebury Ring’

The current work will be carried out in the south field where a survey showed a linear feature running through the field.

It had a stronger magnetic field than the surrounding area, said the Cambridge Past, Present & Future charity, which signified that it was likely to be archaeological and worth investigating.

A spokesperson from the charity added that the investigation aimed to build on earlier work and the feature could be a "missing link" between the hillfort and surrounding archaeology.

This could potentially add to the knowledge of Wandlebury and its history.

The team from Cambridge University will hold two open days for people to observe the dig on Saturday 27 April and Saturday 4 May.

'An amazing place'

James Littlewood, the charity’s chief executive, said: “We know how much pleasure Wandlebury has given to generations of people and we are proud of our work to increase nature and preserve history."

He added that he has been leading the site's 70th anniversary celebrations.

Mr Littlewood said: "One of the ways we are marking this special birthday is by launching an appeal to raise £70,000 so that Wandlebury continues to be an amazing place for the next 70 years."