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What did the Romans ever do for Arbury? via arbury-cambridge.org

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What did the Romans ever do for Arbury? via arbury-cambridge.org

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What Did The Romans Ever Do for Arbury? Jim Smith

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Our trusty old Arbury map showing location details before the Manor Farm was established. The red line, inspired by Jim Smith’s Roman Arbury…

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Map of archaeological finds in the Cam Valley (in Boyd 2005)

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Map of archaeological finds in the Cam Valley (in Boyd 2005)

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Plan of Roman Cambridge- From S Boyd (2005) 'The Story of Cambridge'

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Plan of Roman Cambridge- From S Boyd (2005) 'The Story of Cambridge'

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Useful maps and background information- an Open Access volume from the McDonald Institute of Archaeology/ University of Cambridge

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Useful maps and background information- an Open Access volume from the McDonald Institute of Archaeology/ University of Cambridge

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Of particular note are:

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Hinterlands and Inlands The Archaeology of West Cambridge and Roman Cambridge Revisited

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Appropriately, this book also includes a review of Roman Cambridge, appraising its status as a town.

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Map of Roman Cambridge (exclusive of Arbury)

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Map of Roman Cambridge (exclusive of Arbury)

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Cambridge map reveals 2,000 years of hidden history

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Roman walls, a medieval priory and long-gone 1920s industries are charted on the historical map.

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Arbury Archaeology & History Part 2: Roman Villa Discovered in North Arbury Field

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Arbury Archaeology & History Part 2: Roman Villa Discovered in North Arbury Field

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Arbury Archaeology & History Part 2: Roman Villa Discovered In North Arbury Field - And Much More...

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What particularly fascinates us about the Arbury habitations is the close proximity of the developments - Iron Age and Roman. These provided…

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Map of Roman Cambridge, with 1950s town plan superimposed 

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Map of Roman Cambridge, with 1950s town plan superimposed 

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Sectional Preface: Early Cambridge | British History Online

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Very few earthworks still visible to the ground observer survive in Cambridge city and none that
is certainly representative of the pre-Roman period, but this is scarcely surprising in view of the
spread of the built-up areas. The distribution of finds shows that more than the two definite barrows
(Monument (I)) and two putative barrows (Monuments (2, 6)) must have existed to represent the Bronze
Age; certainly more than the ‘War Ditch’ (Monument (3)) represented the Iron Age, for this, though
once protected by a bank and ditch, has an interior area only a little larger than that of Little Woodbury,
an Iron Age farmstead excavated in Wiltshire. (fn. 1) Indeed, apart from the mound (Monument (6)), nothing
would have been known even of these sites but for the chance exposures of quarrying and the use of
aerial photography.

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Imagine an iron age settlement. It is surrounded by a circular earthwork. People live here. There are houses, and pens for animals within the enclosure. It is not a fort, like Wandlebury. The settlement is larger than some, but very much the equivalent of what we now call a village. The earthwork is simply to defend it from wolves and animal thieves. It is filled with water, and reeds and rushes grow there.

This is the root of the Arbury name in Cambridge.

There is no Chesterton at this point in time.

There is conjecture that the basis for Arbury Road came into being at this time as a track, connecting the settlement with the river, and other settlements, as part of an iron age network. If you follow the route of Arbury Road and Union Lane, they go towards the river in what is now Chesterton, at what would have been a good crossing point.

The landscape is very different from today - large amounts of trees, wolves and wild boars roaming free.

Move on in time a little and we find the earthwork is still there, but silted up and deserted. The Romans have built their own settlement on the land adjacent, and their road - Akeman Street/Mere Way cuts through the area.

There are less trees, more farming, and the lifestyle is altogether more sophisticated than the iron age development's thatched huts.

A grand Roman villa stands not far from the earthwork.
'We have reasons to be proud to live in Arbury with such a rich history. People have lived here for thousands of years.' - 'Arbury Is Where We Live!', 1981.
But the earthwork is still very much in evidence and still referred to by (what we now call) Romano-British locals. It is very much a landscape feature.

Of course, it is not called 'Arbury'. The English language did not exist. We do not know what it was called, or what its original inhabitants called it.

There is an awful lot we assumed about the iron age people that modern DNA studies have severely shaken - and the same for the people who came after them. The notion of a Celtic/Anglo Saxon Britain (the Celtic notion dating from the 1700s) has been scrambled like a Rubik's Cube, and the fact that emerges is of something very different, far less simple - far more mixed and inclusive. The DNA evidence indicates, for example, that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes were a minority, and ended up marrying into the existing population to form the early English, and there is no indication of a uniform genetic Celtic fringe in the UK.

Of course, some people have built their identities around such things, and cling to them, like a well worn comfort blanket. And who is to say what is entirely wrong or right when it comes to past cultural influences?

Move forward in time again. This time it's the medieval era. The village of Chesterton has sprouted, the fields by the earthwork are part of the 'Royal Manor of Chesterton', William the Conqueror having taken a fancy to it all after the Norman Conquest in 1066, and part of the earthwork has been obliterated.

But much of it is still there. It is still very much a feature of the local landscape referenced as 'Ertburg', 'Herburg' and, according to the archaeologists, 'Herdbury' or 'Herdburw', in 13th Century documents. The name is derived from the Old English for 'earthwork'.

Forward in time again, and we arrive in 1840 for the Chesterton Enclosures. Before this, land ownership was like a patchwork quilt in the area.

The 1840 Enclosures regularised things, pulling owned acreage into large single areas. From this was formed the area's two farms - Hall and Manor - both belonging to Chesterton Hall.

The area north of Arbury Road acquired names referencing the earthwork, such as 'Harborough Meadows', West Harborough Corner' (up by the Ely Milton Road), 'North Harborough Furlong' (up by what would become the original King's Hedges Road) and so on. Harborough is a variation on the Arbury name, although Arbury was also current at the time and had been since at least the 14th Century. From Ertburg, Herdbury, Herdburw, and Herburg to Arbury and Harborough.
The Harborough Meadows (a variation on the Arbury name), North Harborough Furlong, Harborough Furlong and West Harborough Corner (by Milton Road) shown on our trusty old map.
The earthwork is clearly defined on the enclosures map, later being divided into a number of distinct plots. Later still, the land, then known as Arbury Camp Farm, was bought by Chivers, of Histon jam factory fame, and became an orchard and chicken farm.

Manor Farm referenced the earthwork with two large fields north of Arbury Road - 'Arbury' and 'Arbury Field', two of the fields closest to the earthwork.
The Arbury landscape in 1900.
In 1905, geologist Professor T McKenny Hughes arrived to carry out excavations at Arbury Camp, confirming its status as what was almost certainly an iron age settlement.

The 20th Century saw many Roman discoveries to the north and south of Arbury Road, and more recent finds, confirming that this was an area that had been lived in for thousands of years.

Many of the findings were discovered during the building of the 'Arbury Road housing estate', and included Roman graves and the Roman villa near the iron age settlement.
From 'The Story of Cambridge', Stephanie Boyd, Cambridge University Press, 2005. The Roman villa was found in the old Harborough/Arbury Meadows, now Northfield Avenue, not far from Arbury Camp (see map at top of post) - and was quite luxurious, including a hypocaust (underfloor heating).
Modern Arbury had begun to arrive, and the name was used many times in the area between Gilbert Road and the original (much shorter) King's Hedges Road, including Arbury School, Arbury Court, the North Arbury Post Office, Arbury Community Centre, Arbury Community House, Arbury Town Park and the North Arbury Chapel. The majority of these establishments were north of Arbury Road, which is where the majority of Arbury history resides.

Cambridge City Council planners began to confuse the issue by importing the name 'King's Hedges' from a strictly defined area north of King's Hedges Road in the 1960s and 1970s. King's Hedges was a small area, comprising fifty-eight acres, and the original King's Hedges Road, once a private road, led to it, but from the establishment of King's Hedges School near Arbury Camp in the late 1960s, the council began to blur and confuse the issue.

So, what was King's Hedges historically? The most likely explanation is one advanced by Professor T McKenny Hughes (who later headed excavations at Arbury Camp) in the late 1800s.

A hedged hunting warren for royal sport had been established in the area of the original King's Hedges some time after the arrival of William the Conqueror. These warrens were used to trap and kill animals for 'sport', and the hedges were a visible landscape feature. In this case, as the Manor of Chesterton was royal and the area belonged to the king, these were the 'King's Hedges', north of what is now the guided busway, a well known local landmark, sometimes the visual landmark being accompanied by the sound of hunting pursuits within. Perhaps not something many modern folk will relish.

King's Hedges was further brought out of its own strictly defined area by the plans for a King's Hedges electoral ward in what was the North Arbury area of the original Arbury electoral ward. There was a sub-district of the Arbury near King's Hedges Road known as the King's Hedges Estate (indeed, the Council had long embraced the notion), although it was poorly defined amongst locals, but North Arbury defined the area (which was correct historically) and a lot of community spirit had grown up around the name, resulting in the establishment of the Arbury Adventure Playground, Arbury Carnival, Arbury Community Centre and Arbury Town Park, amongst other things.

The name, of course, linking back to the ancient settlement and its protective earthwork.

Historian Sallie Purkis believed in Arbury as a place on the map with a history, and was a major force in the primary schools (Arbury, the Grove, King's Hedges and St Laurence's) project 'Arbury 1980'. This resulted in the 1981 book, Arbury Is Where We Live!

King's Hedges made further inroads across the land by the earthwork when King's Hedges Road was massively extended and redirected in the late 1970s, from its original course (from Chesterton to north of what is now the guided busway) to across the old Harborough Meadows and Arbury field, lopping off the end of the original Arbury Road, for the A14/Cambridge Northern Bypass. Few people realise that what many regard as the 'historic' King's Hedges Road is pure late 1970s invention and misplacement. The majority of King's Hedges Road now dates from the late 1970s.

Even more confusingly, as Arbury Road was vanquished at this point, Arbury Camp Farm suddenly found itself on the new King's Hedges Road!
A brand new out-of-area stretch of King's Hedges Road lops of the end of the original Arbury Road in the late 1970s.

It is all very well to call things 'King's Hedges', but it can be confusing to modern local historians and has led to misrepresentations of the history of the land north of Arbury Road - including one lad believing that the hedgerow on Arbury Road (originally a field boundary) was the 'King's Hedges'!

The local councils further confused the issue of 'where is Arbury?' by chopping the estate in two in the 1970s and 1980s, moving the most historic Arbury area into its newly created 'King's Hedges Ward' and shunting Arbury Ward down into areas formerly known as New Chesterton, North Chesterton Ward and Castle Ward.

The fringes of Arbury Ward in Histon Road nearest the city centre are now a short walk from the Shire Hall, but rather a longer walk to the Arbury fields/Harborough Meadows - which now reside in King's Hedges Ward, which was not there, historically.
Arbury made it into the pages of 'History Today' in 1983.

Arbury Estate, of course, has endured some negative publicity and, in our opinion, became something of a 'whipping boy' in Cambridge circles. The notion of replacing the name with King's Hedges seemed attractive to some as time went on (although many were unaware of the King's Hedges name's origins!) but has come to not-a-great-deal as the majority of people still, correctly, identify the area as Arbury and the name change, adopted by some, did nothing to solve social problems in the area - problems that are on a far wider scale in the UK and did not originate with the estate.
The Roman landscape described on this modern display (hopefully not paid for by the taxpayer) was not in any area historically called 'King's Hedges'.

As one Cambridge City Councillor told us: 'We're aware that Arbury and King's Hedges are often referred to as "The Arbury"'. Yes. Because that's correct. The Arbury Community Centre cannot logically be outside of Arbury, and ancient history cannot be rewritten.

The Council was accused of trying to 'yuppify' the area, and push poorer people out, solving no problems at all, and, in throwing out the Arbury name, chucking the baby out with the bath water, as it had inspired great community activism.
From 'Arbury Is Where We Live!' 1981. It was suggested recently to the Arbury Cambridge blog that there had been something of a disconnect between the Council and local historians as ward and name changes were being implemented in Arbury. But both City and County Councillors were well aware of the area's Arbury history, and out in force to attend the 'Arbury '80' exhibition at the Manor School in 1980.

The Council had positively fawned over community efforts like Arbury Is Where We Live!, but their plans for the area, splitting the estate in two and renaming the most historic part something unrelated, remained unaffected.

When Arbury Camp was finally built on, the new community was originally to have been called 'Arbury Park', but people moving in protested, preferring the site to be named after the old Chivers' Jam Factory orchard at the chicken farm.
The outline of the Arbury Camp earthwork has been preserved at Orchard Park, although the late 1970s King's Hedges Road has lopped off the original end of Arbury Road.

With the reputation, fuelled by the Great and the Good and the local press, of the Arbury Estate (and 'Kings Hedges Ward') their preference is, of course, understandable, although it is somewhat sad.

So, that was Arbury and that is what Arbury is now. This is a potted history and we apologise for its brevity (the Council era, being the most convoluted, taking up rather a lot of space in a history spanning over two thousand years).

We are about to upload documents from archaeologists detailing what was found at Arbury Road (both sides) in the 1960s. These include excavations at Arbury Camp Farm, the adjacent fields, and surrounding area.

Please stay tuned!

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Imagine an iron age settlement. It is surrounded by a circular earthwork. People live here. There are houses, and pens for animals within th...

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Image 1- Discovery of the Roman Burial on Arbury Road (Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1952, from Cambridge Daily News)

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Image 1- Discovery of the Roman Burial on Arbury Road (Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1952, from Cambridge Daily News)

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Bitesize Cambridge: Roman Beginnings (via Scudamore's Punting)

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Bitesize Cambridge: Roman Beginnings (via Scudamore's Punting)

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MAA Photo Catalogue- Arbury burial excavation

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MAA Photo Catalogue- Arbury burial excavation

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MAA Loan Box information (from September 2025)

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MAA Loan Box information (from September 2025)

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Image 2- Burial on Arbury Road (Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1952)

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Image 2- Burial on Arbury Road (Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1952)

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Image 3- 'Grave goods' found at the Arbury Road burial (CAS 1952)

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Image 3- 'Grave goods' found at the Arbury Road burial (CAS 1952)

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The Roman Villa at Kings Hedges (From S Boyd's 'The Story of Cambridge', 2005)

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The Roman Villa at Kings Hedges (From S Boyd's 'The Story of Cambridge', 2005)

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Information display in North Arbury/ Kings Hedges Ward

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Information display in North Arbury/ Kings Hedges Ward

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Museum of Classical Archaeology KS2 Romans Sessions (not specific to Roman Cambridge)

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Museum of Classical Archaeology KS2 Romans Sessions (not specific to Roman Cambridge)

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Key Stage 2: Romans (In Person) | Faculty of Classics

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Meet the Romans in this hands-on workshop. Your students will learn about the big hitters in Roman myth and life, as well as handling real 2000-year-old artefacts.

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KS2 Workshop offer at the MAA- includes 90 minute Roman Cambridge workshop

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KS2 Workshop offer at the MAA- includes 90 minute Roman Cambridge workshop

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How did the ancient Maya express their identity? What objects did they use to show their power? What can archaeology tell us about Maya life? These are some of the questions we will discuss while students learn how to read a Maya monument and handle objects from Central and South America.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The session focuses on part of a monument from the World Heritage site of Quiriguá. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided activity looking at Maya collections in the Museum. The other group takes part in a multisensory handling session that includes objects such as obsidian and smells such as copal. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Stone Age to Iron Age (90 minutes)

Students will use their senses to explore the sounds, sights and smells of the past. Pupils will consolidate their chronological understanding and identify the similarities and differences between ways of life in different time periods.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. Pupils learn simple actions as a way of remembering the names and characteristics of each time period. The students are then divided into two groups. One group creates a 'tool timeline' using real objects from our handling collection such as a hand-axe, an arrowhead and a scraper. The other group completes a self-guided activity using MAA's multisensory bags. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Angles, Saxons and Jutes (90 minutes)

Archaeologists use objects from burials (grave goods) to learn about the lives, art, culture and settlements of Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Students will see grave goods, complete a sensory activity and reconstruct an Anglo-Saxon burial using real artefacts and teaching replicas.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided activity using MAA's multisensory bags. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as a horn cup, brooches and fragments of cremation urns. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Roman Britain (90 minutes)

What was life like in Roman Britain? Did people live in the Cambridge area in Roman times? What can archaeology tell us about Roman settlements in Britain? These are some of the questions we will discuss as students see and handle objects from across the Roman Empire as well as objects found in Duroliponte (Cambridge's Roman name).

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group takes part in a handling session that includes real objects such as mosaic fragments, an oil lamp and a brooch. The other group completes a self-guided activity. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Cambridge Settlements (90 minutes)

Build a timeline of Cambridge's prehistoric and historic settlements through the remarkable objects displayed in the Cambridge gallery. Pupils will have the opportunity to handle objects from time periods through history: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group takes part in a handling session that includes British archaeological finds from the Stone Age through to Medieval times. The other group completes a self-guided timeline activity inspired by objects from Cambridge. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

West Africa and Benin (90 minutes)

Students will experience the diverse cultural life of West Africa through masks, jewellery, metal work, musical instruments and everyday items.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided activity inspired by our West African collections. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as a quiver and arrows, gourds and gold weights. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Native Americans: North America (60 minutes)

This gallery-taught session focuses on Native American and First Nation cultures of the Northwest Coast, Southwest and Great Plains of North America. Students will come face to face with fascinating objects such as a 14m Haida totem pole, a Plains Cree chief outfit and a Kachina Doll made by the Hopi.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students can then use the remaining 30 minutes to complete a self-directed activity that will help them explore the galleries.

The Americas (90 minutes)

Find out about the peoples and cultures of Mesoamerica and South America. See and handle objects from Peru, Mexico and even the far corners of the Amazon rainforest. From modern jewellery to ancient potatoes, this session will help students better understand the cultural diversity of Latin America.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided activity inspired by objects from Latin America. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as a necklace made out of seeds from the Amazon, musical instruments and a chocolate whisk. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Extreme Environments (90 minutes)

How have people adapted to extreme environments such as deserts, jungles or polar regions? How do these environments impact their way of life and culture? These are some of the questions students will think about as they as they look and handle objects from the Amazon rainforest, Australian desert and Himalayas.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided worksheet. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as a woven song from the Amazon rainforest, Himalayan boots and a boomerang from Australia. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends a with short plenary session.

Explorers (60 minutes)

Learn about the people of the world and the European explorers who encountered them.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. Pupils see objects collected during the first encounters between Europeans and Pacific Islanders and learn about objects from the Torres Strait Islands as well as Alaska and Greenland. The students use the remaining 30 minutes to complete a self-directed map activity.

Learning from Objects (90 minutes)

Through enquiry based learning and handling real artefacts, students will discover how archaeologists and anthropologists use objects to learn about people.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-guided activity inspired by the objects in the gallery. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as Fijian club, a woven song from the Amazon rainforest and an Indonesian printing block. After 30 minutes the groups swap, then the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Postcard to the Pacific (90 minutes)

How did the objects at MAA get all the way to Cambridge? Who brought them here and why? What's the point of having objects in a museum? Students will consider these questions while looking at, and handling, objects from MAA's Pacific collections.

A museum teacher leads the first 30 minutes of the session. Pupils will be shown a Maori flagpole, ghost net sculptures from the Torres Strait Islands and a spider-web mask from Vanuatu. The students are then divided into two groups. One group completes a self-directed creative writing task in the galleries. The other group takes part in a handling session that includes objects such as a Fijian club, a shark-tooth dagger from Kiribati and a pea and stick map from the Marshall Islands. The groups then switch and the visit ends with a short plenary session.

Ready to book your visit?

Click here to find out more about booking your session, or get in touch with us at education.bookings@maa.cam.ac.uk.

Looking for classroom resources? Click here to explore our downloadable resources, based on our taught schools' sessions for use as part of your curriculum teaching.

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visitor_maudslay.jpg The following taught sessions are offered for KS2 students: Ancient Maya (90 minutes) How did the ancient Maya express their identity? What objects did they use to show their power? What can archaeology tell us about Maya life?