Joint Service Centre, Millgate, Wigan, Greater Manchester. Archaeological Excavation Report.

A major new facility to provide a range of council services on a single integrated site, known as the Joint Service Centre Development, was proposed by Wigan Council in
2006. The development area lies on the eastern fringe of the centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester (centred at NGR SD 58356 05569), bounded by Millgate, Rodney Street, Library Street and the Wiend. It incorporates part of the historic town that is known to contain buried remains of Roman and medieval date. Large gaps exist in the current understanding of Wigan’s history, and whilst its Roman origins have long been suspected, this period in the town’s history has remained enigmatic. It has frequently been cited as the Roman settlement of Coccium, referred to in an early third-century document, although corroborating evidence has been elusive.
In order to secure archaeological interests, a condition was placed on the planning application for the Joint Service Centre Development, which allowed for a programme
of archaeological investigation. An early stage in this programme of work was an archaeological desk-based assessment and a field evaluation, which were undertaken
by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) between May and August 2007. The results obtained from the evaluation revealed significant in-situ archaeological remains,
which comprised deposits of Roman, medieval and post-medieval date. Following consultation with the Greater Manchester County Archaeologist, it was recommended that this merited further, more detailed investigation in advance of construction work.