I recently posted a review of the Manchester Archaeology Day conference which was held at the University of Salford. One of the things I liked was the series of booklets published under the series title of “Manchester’s Past Revealed”. These are easy to read reports written in a jargon-free style on a number of sites in and around the Greater Manchester area. There are 14 volumes now available from a number of sources. More than half have been published by Oxford Archaeology North who undertook the excavations on the sites. These include excavations of Manchester’s first purpose-built steam-powered textile mill and associated workers’ housing (Volume 1), a thriving nineteenth-century industrial suburb of Bury (Volume 2) and a volume (3) on Roman Wigan (Coccium). The industrial heritage of East Manchester feature in Volumes 4, 5, 9 and 11. There’s also one dedicated to the region’s textile-finishing industries which were located along the Irwell Valley (Volume 6). All of these booklets provide the historical context for the archaeological work undertaken, an explanation of the industrial processes involved, and the planning context to each project.
You can find Volumes 1-6 and 9 as pdfs on the Oxford Archaeology website: http://oxfordarchaeology.com/greatermanchesterspastrevealed
The other volumes listed here can be obtained at a small cost (usually £5 plus p&p):
Newton Hall: Rediscovering a Manorial Complex – contact: Tameside History Forum chrismclough@yahoo.co.uk
Timperley Old Hall: The Excavation of the Moated Platform – contact: South Trafford Archaeology Group stag.archaeology@outlook.com
Uncovering the Estate: The Archaeology of Dunham Massey – contact: Dunham Massey National Trust dunhammassey@nationaltrust.org.uk
Iron and Steel in Openshaw: Excavating John Ashbury’s Carriage and Ironworks – copies available at Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (free but p&p) email gmaas@salford.ac.uk
An Ancient and Historic Place: The Archaeology of Cheadle – contact: Cheadle Civic Society http://www.cheadlecivicsociety.org/contents/en-uk/d317_Archaeology_of_Cheadle_book.html
Greengate: The Archaeology of Salford’s Historic Core – copies available at Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (free but p&p) email gmaas@salford.ac.uk (free but p&p)
Hell Upon Earth: The Archaeology of Angel Meadow – copies available at Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (free but p&p) email gmaas@salford.ac.uk (free but p&p)
Ian Parker Heath