Whitworth Park Community Archaeology and History Project
Siân Jones, Hannah Cobb, Melanie Giles, Ruth Colton, Kenneth Shone, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5284/1032009. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Siân Jones, Hannah Cobb, Melanie Giles unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Dr
Ceri
Houlbrook
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
UK
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 2106
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1032009
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
The Whitworth Park Community Archaeology and History Project investigated the social, material and natural histories of Whitworth Park, Manchester, alongside its changing meaning for local communities. It also used archaeology as a way of engaging contemporary residents with this important urban heritage and its future. The project involved archival research, a small-scale oral history programme, and two seasons of excavation, with a wide-ranging volunteer programme and a series of school workshops. There were also public outreach events during the excavation seasons, and other forms of engagement such as newspaper articles, public talks and a project blog. Aside from academic and professional publications, the project resulted in a series of public outputs, including a public leaflet on the history of the Whitworth Park, a new display board in Whitworth Park, and a temporary exhibition in Manchester Museum.
The excavations in 2011 and 2013 focused on examining the archaeological remains of the original late Victorian and Edwardian features, including the boating lake, lakeside pavilion, bandstand, original paths and a shelter. These features had fallen into decline and were removed through demolition and backfilling (in the case of the paddling pool/lake). Geophysical survey in 2010 produced evidence for surviving deposits, which informed the location of the trenches focusing on: the boating lake/paddling pool; the lakeside pavilion; the bandstand; a shelter; an artificial mound and an associated path. Rich artefactual assemblages include a collection of children’s toys from the sediments at the bottom of a former boating lake, a collection of late Victorian and Edwardian clay pipes, and substantial collections of glass and ceramics, many of which are derived from factories in Manchester and the North West of England.
The project was led by the Department of Archaeology at the University of Manchester in association with the Friends of Whitworth Park, Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery and the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre.
This archive includes material relating to the community activities of the project as well as archaeological and historical data.
