George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester- Desk-based Assessment

In September 2006 Comet Estates commissioned Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to undertake an archaeological desk-based assessment of land bounded between George Leigh Street, Radium Street, Poland Street and Silk Street, in the Ancoats area of Manchester (centred on SJ 85057 98857). The study aimed to assess the potential for significant buried archaeological remains on the site, and was required to support and inform a planning application for a development proposal.
Ancoats incorporates some 400 acres on the north-eastern edge of Manchester city centre, which, from the late 18th century, became one of the most intensely developed manufacturing centres in the world. The industrial prowess of the area was derived primarily from a large number of closely-packed steam-powered textile mills, although a variety of other industries were also established, together with a dense concentration of workers’ housing. The origins of this industrial townscape can be traced to the 1770s, when a grid-iron pattern of streets was laid out across part of Ancoats, and the intervening plots of land were sold to middlemen for development. The present study is focused on one such plot, a portion of which is subject to a proposal for development.