Archaeological excavation : site of Collyhurst Old Hall

Whittall, K

Abstract

Salford Archaeology (SA) was commissioned by the Manchester Communications
academy to undertake a community archaeological excavation on Collyhurst playing
fields, Collyhurst, Manchester. The purpose of the excavation was to uncover, record
and interpret the possibility of remains of Collyhurst Old Hall. This work included
mapping and assessing the extent, function, phasing and relative significance of the
buried remains. The aim of the works was to raise awareness of and engage the
community in the discovery and preservation of their local heritage.

The Collyhurst Old Hall study area is located on the corner of Rochdale Road and
Collyhurst Street. The history of Collyhurst Old Hall is remarkably sporadic,
however, there was a hall recorded on the site from at least 1649 along with several
outbuildings, extensive gardens and a watercourse. The Ryder Estate Map of 1830
suggests a later Georgian-style Hall was built over Collyhurst Old Hall. By the first
edition Ordnance Survey map of 1848 this building had been demolished and by the
end of the 19th century the site was occupied by several rows of back to back houses
which included Collyhurst Street, Laverack Street and Ryder Street along with St
James C of E Primary School on Teignmouth Street. These structures were
demolished before 1970 and the site has remained vacant since, serving as playing
fields for the Collyhurst Nursery School and Children’s Centre adjacent to the site.

The community excavation took place in July 2015 and involved the opening of four
evaluation trenches within the south east part of the playing fields at Collyhurst. The
trench location was informed by a test pit evaluation which had occurred during
March 2015. The trenches revealed the remains of the later phases of occupation of
the site, particularly the remains of St James C of E Primary School, and back to back
housing of Collyhurst Street, Ryder Street and Laverick Street. The excavation
provided an opportunity to compare the physical remains of St James Primary School,
Collyhurst St, Laverick St and Ryder St, with the 1966 mapping. Furthermore, the
excavation gave a clear indication of the use of this land since the demolition of these
features.

Citation

Whittall, K. (2016). Archaeological excavation : site of Collyhurst Old Hall

• Report Type: Technical Report
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jan 15, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 15, 2020
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.17866/rd.salford.11617962
• Additional Information: Access Information : Link above directs to data gathered during the creation of the report.