Dig Greater Manchester Is Go! Newsletter
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Greater Manchester Archaeology Federation Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 8 March 2012 Dig Greater Manchester 1-2 GM Archaeology Day 2011 7-9 Dig Greater Society Reports 4-6, 11,17 Discoveries 10-13 Manchester GM Past Revealed 14-15 CfAA Report 16 is go! GMAU Report 21-22 ObituaryObituary————BenBen Edwards 181818-18 ---20202020 New Society! The Federation welcomes an- other new member, the Mid- dleton Archaeological Society. There will be a piece about the Society in a future issue of the newsletter. Introduction Dig Greater Manchester (DGM) is an archaeologically based project funded by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the borough of Blackburn with Darwen. The project will build on the suc- cess of community heritage engagement projects such as ‘Dig Manchester’ and other successful community projects established by the Centre for Applied Archaeology (CfAA), the now closed University of Manchester Archaeology Unit (UMAU) in conjunction with the Greater Manchester Archaeology Unit (GMAU) and local au- thorities and politicians from the Greater Manchester area. The five year project will be led by staff from the CfAA and managed by members of all project partners. Although professionally led its overall aim is to involve the highest number of people from the local communities in the investigation of their Heritage. The project will have dedicated personnel including the lead archaeologist, dealing with the overall manage- ment and organisation of the project, and a dedicated educational/outreach archaeologist whose main task will be to organise the educational aspects. The Project The project will include an archaeological evaluation in every one of the participating boroughs each lasting for a two week period. In the culminating year of the project two of the sites evaluated will be chosen to con- duct a full scale archaeological excavation over an extended period. Greater Manchester Archaeology – Strength Through Diversity and Co-operation. Editorial Volume 1 Issue 8 Dear All This will be the penultimate Federation newsletter delivered by GMAU. The next issue will be an indulgence on our part, where 32 years of GMAU will be celebrated. It has been a pleasure to serve as editor for this publication. I’m sorry that you’ve had to wait so long for this issue. It gives me great satisfaction that the Centre for Applied Archaeology have agreed to take on the Newslet- ter. Contact details for the new editor will be included in the next issue. My thanks to all who have contributed, keep the articles coming in! Editor Dig Greater Manchester (cont) A short list of sites has been drawn up based on an earlier pilot project that incorporated the findings of a Desk- Based Assessment carried out by Dr Pete Arrowsmith. The short listed sites were chosen using a set of criteria such as archaeological potential, accessibility and land ownership (all sites chosen were in the ownership of the local authority). One of the main aspects of the project was the element of education both formal and informal. It is intended to provide an opportunity for local schools to participate in the evaluations. This would not be a simple case of or- ganising on site tours of the evaluation sites. Organised classes from the schools involved will spend a period of time on site participating in the archaeological investigations. This participation will be preceded by arranged visits to the schools as preparation for their visit and a follow up visit at the end of each evaluation. Also included in the educational aspect of the project will be a series of ‘workshops’ designed to introduce and teach certain archaeological techniques such as excavation techniques, building surveys, geophysical surveys, historical research etc. These workshops will be mainly directed at adults with the immediate intention of equip- ping them with the necessary skills and information in order to get the most out of their involvement in the pro- ject. It is also anticipated that these workshops will encourage future self motivated historical and archaeologi- cal research. A final educational aspect will involve seminars/lectures on the archaeology and history of Greater Manchester tailored according to the borough in which they are held. These will be used as a foundation to inform the local communities about the results of the project, local history and heritage and to encourage further self motivated investigations. Cllr Paul Murphy said: “This is a fantastic project that will get thousands of young people across Greater Man- chester involved in something hands-on, educational and exciting. It will also provide them with a vital opportu- nity to learn about the history of their local community and obtain new skills that they may want to develop into a future career. This has all been made possible by AGMA and Salford University working together and high- lights what effective partnership working can achieve. I look forward to hearing about the progress of the pro- ject.” Norman Redhead said ‘Dig Greater Manchester will build on the long tradition of community engagement with the area’s archaeology. The project has already identified a range of archaeological sites with exciting potential and I suspect local communities will be amazed at what they uncover on their doorstep. We know from previous community digs that the people of Greater Manchester have a tremendous enthusiasm for getting involved with their local heritage. I can’t wait to see what the project unearths!’ Watch out for updates of where and when the work will be carried out and how to get involved. Federation members The following groups are members of the Federation: Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society, Bury Archaeological Group, Darwen Local History Society, Glossop and Long- dendale Archaeological Society, Holcombe Moor Heritage Group, Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society, Man- chester Region Industrial Archaeology Society, Mellor Archaeological Trust, Middleton Archaeological Society, Moston Ar- chaeology Group, Prestwich Heritage Society, Royton Lives Through the Ages, Saddleworth Archaeological Trust, South Manchester Archaeological Research Team, South Trafford Archaeological Group, Tameside Archaeological Society, Wigan Archaeological Society. Page 2 Beacon Award Volume 1 Issue 8 The Federation won a prestigious Beacon Award late in autumn 2011! ‘The Manchester Beacon is one of six Beacon partnerships across the UK. It facilitates staff, students and community groups to create a culture that encourages public and community engagement to become a valued part of everyday university life. The Bea- cons explore and support the many ways that the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with, and informed by, the public. The Manchester Beacon is a partnership between the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, The Museum of Science and Indus- try and Manchester: Knowledge Capital’. Adam Thompson, Principal Archaeologist at Salford University’s Centre for Applied Archaeology, put in an appli- cation for the Beacon Recognition Award on behalf of the CfAA, GMAU and the Federation. It was time well spent and means that the Federation’s success as a model of partnership working has received formal recogni- tion by the Universities. Page 3 Littleborough History Centre Volume 1 Issue 8 The Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society Ltd (LHAS) has been around for over 30 years during which time it has become a thriving society with extensive archives including an extensive collection of many thousands of documents, indentures, ephemera, memorials etc., and photographic images, many thousands of archaeological artefacts recovered from the surrounding hills some of national importance together with some war memorials and other large objects. For a short period the Society operated a small but popular museum in the town centre but this was closed when funding ceased. Subsequently the archive has been located within increasingly inaccessible storage facilities. LHAS has been in- volved in numerous proposals for a new facility but all came to nothing until the rail industry offered the Society the under- used station building at Littleborough for use as a Re- search and Interpretation facility – now to be known as Littleborough’s History CentreCentre. Three railway stations have been built in Littleborough. The first was officially opened on Wednesday the 3 rd July 1839 when, directors, guests, ladies and gentlemen total- ling some 550 boarded a train at Oldham Road Station, Manchester and left for Littleborough at 12:22pm. This station was located under the viaduct adjacent to Ealees Brook. In the 1870s the present station building compris- ing of a booking office and waiting rooms were con- structed and in the 1890s a new ticket office and subway was provided. Over time the buildings became less avail- able to passengers being used by engineering personnel until even that function ceased. Whilst much has been changed over the years - the can- opy being removed, original doors changed and windows modernised, many external and internal features remain. On completion of our works, the restored station will be a building of historical value in its own right. The converted buildings will, once more enable the Soci- ety to make local history more accessible to residents and visitors alike. The centre will include a fairly large exhibi- tion space and other rooms available to the public. These will offer internet access as well as access to our elec- tronic archive. We believe that the setting will also be of interest to others perhaps forming a unique venue for family or cultural functions. Using railway buildings bring their own challenges. There are necessary restrictions when working in close proximity to an operational railway station platform and a building located on a high embankment is something else. When sur- rounded on near three sides with unplanned tree and shrubbery growth, some encroaching on the building, it brings new meaning to voluntary labour and encouraging other partners and funding.