Didsbury Flood Storage Basin, Greater Manchester: Archaeological Watching Brief

The Environment Agency commissioned Oxford Archaeology North to undertake an archaeological watching brief during site investigative (SI) works in preparation for possible improvements to the flood defences within and around Didsbury, Greater Manchester (NGR SJ 8415 9074). The SI works, undertaken between 16th and 17th March 2010 at various locations between the Didsbury Allotment Gardens and Fletcher Moss Park, comprised the hand excavation of six inspection pits, followed by the mechanical extraction of soil cores, and five hand-excavated test pits dug to discern the location of a known high-pressure natural gas pipeline and other services. It was hoped that the watching brief of the SI works would help to define the potential for the preservation of any archaeological features in the area.