Preserving, Improving, Living –

CASTLEFIELD in the heart of our city

The story of the Ordsall Chord

The Old and the New The area around the Ordsall Chord has witnessed many changes, especially throughout the nineteenth century with the arrival of the canals and then the railways. With several listed structures and the below ground remains of a dye-works and workers’ housing, this area is significant in the story of Manchester and .

The arch of the Ordsall Chord Bridge crossing the River Irwell. © Archaeological Advisory Service

Linking Victoria & Piccadilly The official opening of the Ordsall Chord railway bridge at the beginning of November 2017 was a huge milestone in the Great North Rail Project A link between Victoria and Piccadilly stations was first and in early December a train crossed the new lines travelling directly suggested in 1971. This proposal for an underground tunnel between Victoria and Piccadilly Stations for the first time. However the was abandoned in 1977, as was a further proposal in 1979. construction works associated with the Ordsall Chord project continued The Ordsall Chord scheme was agreed in 2015 and the and included the completion of equally significant aspects of the project, new railway line opened in November 2017. The scheme including repairs to the historic structures and the creation of a sequence includes an innovative crossing over the River Irwell known of new public realm spaces. as the Network Arch, an asymmetric bridge which is the first of its type to be built in the UK. Stephenson’s Bridge, the network arch and a new public footbridge form the setting of a pair of piazzas on either side of the river. From this centrepiece a series of interconnected spaces link the key regeneration sites in the surrounding area. These spaces have been carefully designed so that in each location they are in keeping with not only their immediate surroundings, but also seek to enrich the experience of the group of historic transport structures and add the next layer onto this constantly evolving area.

Aerial view following construction of the Chord. © BDP / Paul Karalius Archaeological excavations in the “zig-zag” arches revealed the remains of two rows of stone blocks in the side of the trench. Wooden posts would have sat on these blocks to form the stalls for horses. The lower row dates from the construction of the Arrivals Recording the history around the Station in 1837. The upper row is their replacement and date from the 1860’s when Ordsall Cord the “zig-zag” arches were built. In the centre of the trench are the remains of the dye works which were demolished to build the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Over two and a half years Salford Archaeology carried © Salford Archaeology out excavations and building recording on areas that were impacted by the construction works. The archaeological work has significantly enhanced our understanding of the Repair works to Stephenson’s Bridge included the removal impressive and historic structures in the area. of stalactites, cleaning and repair to the masonry as well as the reconstruction of the parapet. Materials used when the bridge was first constructed in1830 included red sandstone and grey and buff sandstones with ochre bands. It is likely that a number of quarries had to be used to secure an adequate supply of the large stones needed for the radiating voussoirs. For the reinstatement of the parapet, analysis of the existing stone showed that it would have come from either the Merseyside or Cumbrian regions. As the quarries in the Merseyside area are no longer active, the stone for Archaeological building recording in the zig-zag Positioning a stone into the arch. Arches included the remains of the stables which © Stone Central the rebuilding of the parapet was sourced from Cumbrian have now been conserved. © BDP quarries. The parapet is also repointed in a hot lime mix which replicates the characteristics of the original mortar.

The construction of the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham railway viaduct in CASTLEFIELD the 1840’s required the demolition of several houses which had only recently been built. FORUM Archaeological excavations prior to the widening of this viaduct revealed the www.ourcastleeld.co.uk cellar dwellings of these workers houses. © Salford Archaeology

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