The 2005 Rolt memorial lecture. Industrial archaeology or the archaeology of the industrial period? Models, methodology and the future of industrial archaeology

This paper outlines in brief the development of Industrial Archaeology in Britain as a mainstream branch of archaeology over the last 50 years, before then reviewing some of the recent methodological developments in IA. The author argues that whilst Industrial Archaeology embraces both the archaeology of technology and the archaeology of industrialisation, it is the latter strand that is the defining feature of much modern IA work. A wide range of techniques emphasising both landscape and social change, linked to technological development, have been developed by those studying the phenomenon of British industrialisation since 1991. It is argued that the radical changes to the production, consumption, and urban nature of this newly industrialised society is best studied archaeologically through the medium of this new Industrial Archaeology. Furthermore, this social and landscape approach, coupled with the study of technological change, could be used to compare the different rates and geographical location of industrialisation around the globe from a distinctive archaeological perspective

Living in the industrial city: Housing quality, land ownership and the archaeological evidence from industrial Manchester, 1740-1850

This paper looks at the recent archaeological evidence for industrial housing in Manchester, United Kingdom. The paper argues that a fragmented land-holding pattern developed in a number of city-centre areas during the second half of the eighteenth century. That this land-holding pattern made these areas susceptible to overcrowding through the domestic redevelopment of back yard plots and the conversion of older housing to tenements. This redevelopment was at its most acute during the peak decades of population growth in the city, 1800-40, and this led to the slum conditions of poverty, disease and overcrowding recorded in contemporary accounts from the mid-nineteenth century

The archaeology of industrialisation and the textile industry : the example of Manchester and the south-western Pennine Uplands during the 18th century (part 2)

Between the early 18th century and the mid-19th century the north-west of England was turned from a relatively impoverished backwater to one of the major industrialisation zones in the world. This is thus a key region for understanding the archaeology of the early stages of industrialisation. The area around Manchester was at the heart of this process, which was driven in this region by the mechanisation of the textile industry. The archaeological remains of this industrial transition are not only very extensive but also comparatively early when considered against the classic period of the Industrial Revolution; the decades either side of 1800. This paper discusses this early evidence and the results of a wide-ranging regional survey looking at the archaeology of industrialisation within the textile industry and the role of local tenant farmers in promoting industry in and around Manchester during the 18th century. It highlights a number of key sources of evidence for this period, provides a gazetteer of sites and suggests some future directions for archaeological research into the early industrialisation of this important region. The first part was published in Industrial Archaeology Review 30(1) pp33-48

Newton Hall and the cruck buildings of North West England

This study is an introduction to the archaeology and history of Newton Hall, Hyde, in Tameside. As a timber-framed cruck building from the late medieval period it is one of the oldest homes in North West England, and was one of the first such buildings to be restored for future generations in the 1960s. This study looks at Newton Hall and its place within the cruck-framed building tradition of the region, providing an overview of the development of the site and its regional importance. 95 cruck buildings are analysed within the Manchester city region, including their status, plan-form and construction details, and the study is illustrated with 122 colour plates and line drawings

Saving Manchester's industrial past : regeneration and new uses of industrial archaeology structures in Greater Manchester, 1980 to 2018

2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of professional archaeology within the Manchester city region, with the creation of the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit (GMAU) in 1980. This was the culmination of a decade of raising awareness of the archaeology and heritage of the Manchester city region. It saw the establishment of dedicated conservation officers in each of the ten new metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester (established in the local government re-organisation of 1974), a growth in the number of conservation areas and a significant rise in the number of historic buildings protected through the listing process, on the back of changes to the listing process in 1970. This paper looks at the particular impact of the growth of heritage protection and the role of conservation and re-use in retaining and understanding industrial buildings in the Manchester area. It examines the way in which industrial sites in the region have been preserved and displayed for the public over the last 38 years by heritage professionals, highlighting the impact of the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit (and its successors), and its sister unit the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. First, the range of industrial archaeology sites surviving in the area is briefly reviewed. Then, the next part of this paper studies the conservation of industrial buildings in the Manchester Area, which began in the late 1970s with a number of pioneering projects such as Samuel Oldknow’s canal warehouse in Marple. However, it was the purchase of the Liverpool Road Railway Station in Manchester in 1978 by the Greater Manchester County Council, and its subsequent restoration, that gave the conservation of industrial buildings the boost it needed. Since then canal warehouses, packing warehouses and textile mills have been conserved through conversion to offices, student accommodation or flats. Some of the problems encountered in this trend, in particular the lack of interest in particular types of sites, will also be looked at. The final part of this paper examines the way in which industrial sites around the Manchester city region have been preserved and displayed to the public. Liverpool Road Railway Station was the first such site and is home to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (now part of the Science Museum Group). However, there are many smaller and local industrial archaeology sites which have been excavated and displayed since the early1980s through the work of GMAU. These range from textile mills and bleachworks to coal mining sites