Grand Arcade, Millgate, Wigan, Greater Manchester. Final Excavation Report.

In 2005-7, a major new retail facility in Wigan, known as the Grand Arcade Shopping Development, was constructed by Modus Properties. The development area lies on the
eastern fringe of the centre of Wigan (centred on SD 5836 0571), and 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 second-century literature, although corroborating evidence has
been elusive.
In order to secure archaeological interests, a condition was placed on the planning application for the Grand Arcade Development, which allowed for a programme of archaeological investigation. An early stage in this programme of work was an archaeological evaluation, which was undertaken by Oxford Archaeology North between November 2004 and February 2005 (OA North 2005a). The results obtained from the evaluation identified two areas in particular that had significant in-situ archaeological remains, which comprised deposits of Roman, medieval and post medieval date. It was recommended that these areas merited further, more detailed investigation in advance of construction work.