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UNCOVERED: The old foundations
City's past unearthed
Rebecca Camber25/ 1/2005
IT might just look like a pile of bricks, but archaeologists say this is a unique glimpse of Manchester's heritage which is about to vanish forever.
Surrounded by Piccadilly's high-rise flats and businesses, experts have unearthed a rare sight which we're unlikely to spot again - traditional Industrial Revolution back-to-back houses.
Once Manchester's skyline was dominated by factories and row upon row of terraced houses, where factory workers and their families lived.
But the last century has seen a revolution in the city's image as old mills and factories are torn down to be replaced by ultra-modern flats and glass-fronted office complexes.
Now in a city famed for its industrial heritage, there is little industrial architecture left standing and archaeologists reckon this 19th century housing is one of the few examples left in the city centre.
Location
Ancoats still has a few traditional housing blocks, but experts say many are buried deep beneath the city centre.
The significant find comes after the city council ordered the new owners of the land to excavate the site - most recently used as a car park - to check its foundations. But in a month, these rare house foundations will be lost forever as building starts on a new block of flats in the prime city centre location.
Project manager of the dig run by Oxford Archaeology North, Ian Miller, said: "We are trying to recover the forgotten past of Manchester.
"These are the houses associated with the Industrial Revolution. We have started researching their origins but we think they probably date back to 1802.
"We have a map dating back to 1794 which suggests there was a river valley in that area and our guess is that it was filled in around that time, so this prime city centre location would have been snapped up and built upon very quickly
"A lot of these houses would have been built for factory workers. There was no public transport at that time so people had to live close to work."
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25/01/2005 at 15:25
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At Specialty Sifting Company, we have designed portable machines to assist in the recovery of critical solids, and can save days of effort by raising the efficency of each hour of effort. And much like this project, time is of the essence!!! and one must make each moment count.
Good luck to those in this project, and if we can help, feel free to contact us...
Best Regards,
John J. Betthauser Chief Engineer Specialty Sifting Company Alvin, Texas Or visit us on the web at: www.specialtysiftingcompany.com
25/01/2005 at 18:23
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