More information : (SJ 833977) Part of the Vicus, north of the Roman Fort
of Castlefield, Manchester (SJ 89 NW 45), was excavated in
the summer of 1972. It was found that the ditch system surrounding
the fort was abandoned during the Flavian Period and deliberately
backed filled to allow the creation of timber shops and houses close
to the fort. Evidence from the excavation suggests that the Roman
Road and its associated buildings were constructed during the
Hadrianic Period. A timber structure, possibly a hostelry, was
uncovered, its function ascertained from quantities of glass,
gaming chips and an obsidian found amongst the building
debris. Furnaces and their associated timber structures were
uncovered, showing that by the end of the second century the
excavated area was devoted to the industrial activity of smithying.
The last surviving buildings on the site belonged to the early
years of the third century. Any traces of later buildings were
destroyed by intensive cultivation in the post Roman periods.
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