Mann Island Canal Link, Merseyside- Excavation

Over the period 2006–8, Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) carried out archaeological excavations in advance of the cutting of a new Canal Link, creating 1.4 miles of new navigable waterway along the banks of the river Mersey. The work on the southernmost section of the Canal, in the Mann Island area of Liverpool (centred at SJ 3403 9008), was undertaken for BAM Nuttall Ltd, on behalf of BAM and British Waterways. To the north of this, work was carried out for Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd, and Pierse Ltd, at Pier Head and the Central Docks, respectively. These latter works are subject to separate reports.
The development footprint forms a significant part of the Mann Island area to the south of the Port of Liverpool Building, Cunard Building and Liver Building. The site lies within the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site, and is also classed as a conservation zone. It includes the remains and sites of eighteenth-century sea walls, Manchester Dock, Canning Dock, and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century warehouses.
The excavation revealed details of both the known major monuments, and additional structures which do not feature on maps and had not been documented previously. Several sea walls were exposed, along with temporary walls, which provided long- and short-term sea defences, at interim
stages in the progress of land reclamation. The walls appeared to have survived in near-perfect condition and almost to their full height of c 5m. Manchester Dock, and its associated warehouses, survived in excellent condition, less than 1m below the modern ground surface, along with evidence for earlier quaysides. In addition, a section of Canning Dock, which is still in operation, was excavated and examined. This revealed the buttressing behind the dock wall. The stone used in the construction of the dock and sea walls varied, with yellow sandstone used for the sea walls, while the docks were built from the less brittle pink variety. The excavation results add significantly to
what was known and understood about the form and technology of some of Liverpool’s most notable maritime engineering structures.