Page 48 - RR-Issue-One
P. 48

48                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         49

                            ROCHDALE                                                                                                VICTORIAN BUILDINGS




                      TOWN CENTRE                                                                                                          DISCOVERED




                                                 A     n archaeological dig in                                                       A      supervising

                                                                                                                                            archaeologist from
                                                       Rochdale Town Centre
                                                       uncovered previously                                                                 the University of
                                               demolished Victorian buildings                                                       Salford commented: “What we
                                               from John Street along Baillie                                                       have found here is completely
                                               Street and Kelsall Street,                                                           different to anything we have
                                               directly across from the Mecca                                                       seen before.
                                               Bingo building.
                                                                                                                                    “What we came here to excavate
                                               As work got underway for the                                                         was the remains of some back-to-
                                               new Riverside retail and leisure                                                     back housing which were partially
                                               development, builders came to       KELSALL                                          cellared and a congregational
                                               a halt when the three areas they                                                     church.
                                               terraced rows of 19th century  STREET                                                “One row of houses was fronted
                                               dug at excavated back-to-back

                                               workers housing and the mid-        THEY HAD A COAL CHUTE IN THE                     towards Mecca Bingo (on Kelsall
                                               19th century Milton Congrega-       WALL, SO THE CELLARS WERE MOSTLY,                Street) and the others back to
                                               tional Church, which was opened     IN THIS CASE, FOR STORING THE COAL               these (on Baillie Street) were the
                                               in 1854.                                                                             ones that were partially cellared.”
   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52