Haslam Street Mill, Haslam Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester - Assessment

Haslam Buildings Ltd has obtained planning consent (Application No 92369/14) for
the redevelopment of land on Haslam Street in Bolton (centred on NGR 370980
408041). The site was occupied previously by a steam-powered weaving mill, which
was established in 1850 and remained in production until 1957. There is scant
documentary material pertaining to the development of the mill, although the detail
shown on a late nineteenth-century illustration raises the possibility that the mill may
have incorporated an unusual system of power transmission.
The development proposals allow for the erection of 12 dwellings, which will
inevitably necessitate earth-moving works with some potential to damage or destroy
any below-ground archaeological remains. In order to secure archaeological interests,
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council attached a condition to planning consent that
required an appropriate scheme of archaeological investigation to be implemented
prior to development. Following consultation with the Greater Manchester
Archaeological Advisory Service, it was recommended that a programme of historical
research into the development of the mill complex was carried out in the first instance,
coupled with the monitoring of the excavation of trial trenches for geo-technical
purposes. The data generated from this investigation was intended to provide a
considered basis regarding the archaeological significance of the site, and thereby
inform the planning process.
Oxford Archaeology North was commissioned by the Haslam Buildings Ltd to
undertake the required scheme of works in November 2014. Most of these trenches
were placed across the footprint of the weaving shed, although two trenches were
targeted on the footprint of the engine and boiler houses and the mill reservoir
specifically for archaeological purposes.