The ancient Cambridgeshire farm considered to be ‘Britain’s Pompeii’

The site was thought to have been burned down less than a year after being created in 850BC

It’s hard to think what parts of Cambridgeshire would have looked like in days gone by. Even today, there are still remnants among the Cambridgeshire countryside from people who have lived here before us.

Artefacts from the Bronze Age have a strong presence in Cambridgeshire, especially near Peterborough. One place called Must Farm is an important place for the remains of the Bronze Age.

Dubbed as “Britain’s Pompeii”, there is a wealth of well-preserved artefacts at Must Farm. The farm sits on the bed of a now-defunct river in Flag Fen.

It was once occupied for less than a year, but it burnt down in 850BC. It’s unknown what the cause of the fire was, but it’s believed to have been caused by an attack or started by accident. It then quickly spread to the homes. Around 10 wooden houses on stilts, which could have been home to around 50 to 60 people, were found at Must Farm.

At the time, archaeologists said it provided a “time capsule” into what it was like to live during that time, and was similar to Pompeii in Rome. When excavations took place, they discovered almost 200 wooden artefacts, over 150 fibre and textile items, as well as 128 pottery tools and around 90 pieces of metalwork.

An excavation was carried out by Cambridge and Bristol universities in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, the universities revealed their findings. Researchers reported that they found human and dog faeces. They also discovered a number of parasites including fish tapeworms.

Following the discovery, a number of items were put on display in an exhibition at Peterborough Museum in April 2024.