Castlefield is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and the Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester. It was the terminus of the Bridgewater Canal, the world's first industrial canal built in 1764, with the oldest canal warehouse opening in 1779.
The world's first passenger railway terminated here in 1830, at Liverpool Road railway station[1] and the first railway warehouse opened here in 1831.
The Rochdale Canal met the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield in 1805 and in the 1830s they were linked with the Mersey and Irwell Navigation by two short cuts. In 1848 the two viaducts of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway crossed the area and joined each other, two further viaducts and one mainline station Manchester Central railway station followed.
Castlefield was designated as a conservation area in 1980 and the United Kingdom's first designated Urban Heritage Park in 1982.[2][3]
The name Castlefield is a short form of 'field of the castle [i.e. fort]'. As well as lending its name to the Castlefield area of Manchester, Manchester derived its name from Mamucium which meant "breast-shaped hill" in Celtic.[4] The designation 'The Castle-in-the-field' was in use in the Middle Ages,[citation needed] but eventually came to be abbreviated to Castlefield, as it is in use now.
An alternative to Castlefield has also been in use, i.e. Campfield, with the meaning "field of the [Roman] fort". It is found in the name of St Matthew's Church, Campfield, and Campfield Market. A further name for the area is Aldport which is Anglo-Saxon and means "the old port" ("port" once had the meaning of "trading place", not necessarily on a waterway, and "the new port" was the main site of medieval Manchester near the confluence of the rivers Irk and Irwell).
A Roman fort called Mamucium, or Mancunium, was established in what is now Castlefield c. AD 79 near a crossing point on the River Medlock.[5] The fort was sited on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell in a naturally defensible position.[5] It was erected as a series of fortifications established by Gnaeus Julius Agricola during his campaign against the Brigantes who were the Celtic tribe in control of most of northern England.[6]
It guards the Deva Victrix (Chester) to Eboracum (York) Roman road running east to west, and a road heading north to Bremetennacum (Ribchester).[7] The neighbouring forts were Castleshaw and Northwich.[8] Built first from turf and timber, the fort was demolished around 140.
When it was rebuilt around 160, it was again of turf and timber construction.[9] In about 200 the fort underwent another rebuild, this time enhancing the defences by replacing the gatehouse with a stone version and facing the walls with stone.[10] The fort would have been garrisoned by a cohort, about 500 infantry, of auxiliary troops.[11]
It has been said that, the arrival of the Bridgewater Canal in Castlefield[17] in July 1761, marked the start of the Industrial revolution.[18] It was significant that price of coal was halved, making steam power commercially viable. The Rochdale Canal, and a network of private branch canals joined the Bridgewater at Lock 92 in Castlefield.
The Bridgewater Canal company hesitated in connecting their canal the adjacent Mersey and Irwell Navigation until the Rochdale Canal Company had almost constructed its Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, and the railways had arrived in the 1830s. As the century progressed the canals gave way to the railways and the area became dissected by a network of railway lines carried on a series of multi-arch viaducts.
Castlefield did have cotton mills, it was the engineering works and warehousing that was more noticeable. The first canal warehouse, built in 1771 on Coal Wharf, was used to raise coal from the barges to street level, and store other goods. In the nineteenth century the warehouses assumed other functions such as trans-shipment which involved receiving trains or barges, and reassembling their loads to be shipped to other destinations.
Other warehouses received raw materials such as yarn, which was collected by out-workers who then returned woven cloth. The later warehouses acted as showrooms on the ground floors, with offices and storage above and behind.[19]
As part of the renewal of the site, an extensive outdoor area was developed as an events arena which is used for a wide variety of events, including the annual Dpercussion music festival. Granada Television television studios are located in the area along with the now closed Granada Studios Tour. In 2008 it was reported that ITV were considering re-opening the tour as the company is searching for new forms of revenue to restore growth.[20]
Castlefield has several bars and restaurants which are particularly popular during the summer months when people flock to the area to enjoy the large outdoor drinking areas and regular live music events. The popular Barça Bar closed in late December 2008, leaving Dukes 92, Choice Bar & Restaurant and Lava Bar as the only bars within the Castlefield basin. Castle Quay is the home of radio stations Key 103 and Piccadilly Magic 1152.
Planning permission to turn the empty Jacksons Wharf building into an apartment block has been rejected for a second time.[21]
Information Care of wikipedia.com
