Archaeological dig....

You can always tell when a new building is going to go up in Manchester these days. They send in the archaeologists. I saw this dig on the right bank of the Irwell opposite Spinningfields. There are all kinds of plans for new buildings on a huge surface car park between the river and those beautiful ancient Egyptian style columns that support the railway viaduct near Salford Station. Or Karnak on Irwell as I like to call it. They hope that some of the success and wealth of Spinningfields will cross the river into Salford.

Part of the site was occupied by some faux Georgian house offices that were put up in the 80s. I've always loathed them and are pleased they have gone. There are some more off Oxford Road and near Granada's old studios that I hope see the wrecking ball, with or without Ms. Cyrus attached, soon.

As soon as the nasty faux Georgian buildings were gone the archaeologists were in there. Not rows of Victorian slums this time but the New Bailey Prison, forerunner to Strangeways (always thought that was a great name for a prison) that used to occupy the site and is now only remembered by the name of the street that crosses the nearby bridge into Salford.