Birley Fields, Hulme, Manchester: Community Excavation 1 CONTENTS SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................4 1. I NTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................6 1.1 Circumstances of Project...................................................................................6 2. M ETHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................7 2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................7 2.2 Excavation.........................................................................................................7 2.3 Finds..................................................................................................................7 2.4 Archive..............................................................................................................7 3. B ACKGROUND ..........................................................................................................8 3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................8 3.2 Location.............................................................................................................8 3.3 Topography and Geology..................................................................................9 3.4 Historical Background: Development of Hulme...............................................9 3.5 Aspects of Housing Conditions in Manchester...............................................17 4. F IELDWORK RESULTS ...........................................................................................19 4.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................19 4.2 Trench 1: Jackson’s Farm ...............................................................................19 4.3 Trench 2: Holy Trinity Church and Dale Street Houses .................................21 4.4 Trench 3: Catholic Apostolic Church .............................................................35 5. T HE FINDS ..............................................................................................................37 5.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................37 5.2 Tiles.................................................................................................................37 5.3 Clay Tobacco Pipe ..........................................................................................38 5.4 Glass................................................................................................................39 5.5 Stone................................................................................................................39 5.6 Other Finds......................................................................................................41 For the use of MMU © OA North: June 2012 Birley Fields, Hulme, Manchester: Community Excavation 2 6. D ISCUSSION ............................................................................................................42 6.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................42 6.2 Holy Trinity Church........................................................................................43 6.3 Dale Street Houses..........................................................................................44 6.4 Community Participation ................................................................................46 7. C URATION AND CONSERVATION ...........................................................................49 7.1 Archive............................................................................................................49 7.2 Conservation ...................................................................................................49 7.3 Storage.............................................................................................................49 7.4 Dissemination..................................................................................................49 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................50 Cartographic Sources..................................................................................................50 Primary Sources..........................................................................................................51 Secondary Sources......................................................................................................51 APPENDIX 1: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION ...............................................54 APPENDIX 2: ORAL TESTIMONIES .............................................................................80 ILLUSTRATIONS ..........................................................................................................95 Figures.........................................................................................................................95 For the use of MMU © OA North: June 2012 Birley Fields, Hulme, Manchester: Community Excavation 3 SUMMARY Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) has obtained planning consent from Manchester City Council for a proposed redevelopment of a plot of land known as Birley Fields, situated in the Hulme area of Manchester (centred on NGR SJ 8370 9665). An archaeological desk-based assessment of the site carried out in 2011 traced the development of the site from the late eighteenth century to the present day, and concluded that there was some potential for buried archaeological remains of local significance. In particular, it was considered possible that the remains of a post- medieval farmstead, two mid-nineteenth-century churches, and associated workers’ dwellings may survive beneath the modern ground surface. This was corroborated to some extent by the results obtained from a geophysical survey of the site carried out subsequently, which identified some anomalies that were interpreted as possibly representing some archaeological remains (University of Salford 2012). Following on from the desk-based assessment, the County Archaeologist for Greater Manchester, who provides planning advice to Manchester City Council, recommended that a programme of intrusive investigation was undertaken in advance of the development of the site. MMU used this opportunity to facilitate a community- led archaeological excavation, and commissioned Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) to provide the required supervision. Three separate areas were targeted for archaeological excavation, and included the sites of a post-medieval farmstead, known as Jackson’s Farm, two mid-nineteenth- century churches, and associated housing. Excavation of two of the targeted areas (Trenches 1 and 3) demonstrated conclusively that any buried remains of Jackson’s Farm and the Catholic Apostolic Church on Stretford Road had been destroyed entirely during clearance work in the 1960s and further remediation works carried out in the 1980s. Excavation of Trench 2, however, revealed the well-preserved foundations of the Holy Trinity Church, specifically the area around the western tower, and the foundations of a pair of terraced dwellings and their associated cellars which fronted onto Dale Street. The excavation elicited considerable interest amongst local residents, and a large number of people from the local community were actively involved in the fieldwork. In total, 180 local volunteers participated in the excavation, with an estimated additional 400 people, including several school parties, visiting the site to view the excavated remains and to talk with the archaeologists. The excavation has provided a detailed archaeological record of the buried remains across the site to mitigate their potential damage or destruction as part of the proposed redevelopment of the site. This record should largely satisfy the requirements of the archaeological condition attached to planning consent for redevelopment. However, it is recommended that the results obtained from the excavation are disseminated in an appropriate manner. It is proposed that a summary of the excavation is offered to Current Archaeology for publication. In addition, a small exhibition will be prepared by MMU in their Special Collections, which will disseminate the results of the excavation to the local community. For the use of MMU © OA North: June 2012 Birley Fields, Hulme, Manchester: Community Excavation 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) would like to thank Dr Faye Simpson and Adrian Robinson for commissioning and facilitating the project on behalf of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). Thanks are also due to Norman Redhead, the County Archaeologist for Greater Manchester, for his support and advice. OA North would also like to thank all the volunteers and members of the local community who gave their time, information and memories of the area so freely in order to make the excavation of Holy Trinity Church possible. In particular, Abby Baldwin, Sheila Baldwin, Geoff Barker, Dennis Barrett, Carol Blenkinsop, Edna Brennan, Jared Brighouse, Jean