The South Trafford Archaeological Group (STAG) is an archaeological group based in Timperley, Greater Manchester. The group promotes interest in and the study of archaeology and history locally, especially within Trafford but also beyond the borders of the borough. [1] Its activities include post-excavation work and documentary research. [2]
STAG was formed in 1979 and provides facilities for volunteer archaeologists from south Manchester and north-east Cheshire. [2] [3] It has 95 members and is based near the site of Timperley Old Hall – a medieval moated hall – and the clubhouse of the Altrincham Municipal Golf Course. [2] [3] STAG has undertaken excavations as far away as Condate, the Roman name for Northwich, in Cheshire. [4] The group has been involved with sites such as Timperley Old Hall; Carrs Mill in Stalybridge; Moore's hat factory in Denton; the medieval hall in Urmston; and Moss Brow farm in Warburton. [5] The excavations in Warburton led to the site being excavated by Time Team in 2006 with the involvement of STAG. [6]
In 2008, STAG was awarded £44,400 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to renovate the site of Timperley Old Hall. The work will involved building a bridge across the moat, installing information boards, and developing an information scheme for local schools. It also allowed new archaeological investigations at the hall. [7]
Altrincham is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Manchester city centre, 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Sale and 10 miles (16 km) east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 52,419.
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers 41 square miles (106 km2) and includes the areas of Old Trafford, Stretford, Urmston, Altrincham, Partington and Sale. The borough was formed in 1974 as a merger of the municipal boroughs of Altrincham, Sale, and Stretford, the urban districts of Bowdon, Hale and Urmston and part of Bucklow Rural District. The River Mersey flows through the borough, separating North Trafford from South Trafford, and the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
Timperley is a suburban village in Altrincham in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it is approximately seven miles (11 km) southwest of Manchester. The population at the 2011 census was 11,061.
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. The population of the village taken at the 2011 Census was 15,315. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, about 9 mi (14 km) southwest of the city of Manchester.
Stretford is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) southwest of Manchester city centre, 3.0 miles (4.8 km) south of Salford and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) northeast of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east, Urmston to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale to the south. The Bridgewater Canal bisects the town.
Urmston is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 41,825 at the 2011 Census. Historically in Lancashire, it is about six miles (10 km) southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is the River Mersey, with Stretford lying to the east and Flixton to the west. Davyhulme lies to the north of the town centre. Urmston covers an area of 4,799 acres (19 km²).
Warburton is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, Warburton lies on the south bank of the River Mersey between the borough of Warrington and Greater Manchester. In the 21st century, the village remains predominantly rural. Altrincham is the nearest town. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 286.
Partington is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, ten miles (16 km) south-west of Manchester city centre. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies on the southern bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, opposite Cadishead on the northern bank. It has a population of 7,327.
Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouses and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Hall and Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust since 1976. Dunham Massey was historically in the county of Cheshire, but since 1974 has been part of Trafford Metropolitan Borough; the nearest town is Altrincham. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 475.
Bowdon is a village and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Bowdon, Hale and Hale Barns together are regarded as the wealthiest areas in Greater Manchester, and similarly wealthy to Cheshire Golden Triangle towns Wilmslow, Alderley Edge and Prestbury. These towns and the area between them contain some of the most expensive properties in England outside London.
Buckton Castle was a medieval enclosure castle near Carrbrook in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England. It was surrounded by a 2.8-metre-wide (9 ft) stone curtain wall and a ditch 10 metres (33 ft) wide by 6 metres (20 ft) deep. Buckton is one of the earliest stone castles in North West England and only survives as buried remains overgrown with heather and peat. It was most likely built and demolished in the 12th century. The earliest surviving record of the site dates from 1360, by which time it was lying derelict. The few finds retrieved during archaeological investigations indicate that Buckton Castle may not have been completed.
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council.
Little Bollington is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. The Bridgewater Canal runs through the western side and Dunham Park lies to the north east.
There are 37 scheduled monuments in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauthorised change by being placed on a list by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. Scheduled monuments are defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the National Heritage Act 1983. They are also referred to as scheduled ancient monuments. There are about 18,300 scheduled monument entries on the list, which is maintained by English Heritage; more than one site can be included in a single entry. While a scheduled monument can also be recognised as a listed building, English Heritage considers listed building status as a better way of protecting buildings than scheduled monument status. If a monument is considered by English Heritage to "no longer merit scheduling" it can be descheduled.
J. Patrick Greene OBE is a British archaeologist and a museum director.
Mellor hill fort is a prehistoric site in North West England, that dates from the British Iron Age—about 800 BC to 100 AD. Situated on a hill in Mellor, Greater Manchester, on the western edge of the Peak District, the hill fort overlooks the Cheshire Plain. Although the settlement was founded during the Iron Age, evidence exists of activity on the site as far back as 8,000 BC; during the Bronze Age the hill may have been an area where funerary practices were performed. Artefacts such as a Bronze Age amber necklace indicate the site was high status and that its residents took part in long-distance trade. The settlement was occupied into the Roman period. After the site was abandoned, probably in the 4th century, it was forgotten until its rediscovery in the 1990s.
Timperley Hall was a moated manor house in Timperley, Greater Manchester, England, first recorded in 1560, but almost certainly built to replace an earlier medieval structure. Very little remains of the 16th-century hall, which is not shown on the Tithe map of 1838. The date of the hall's demolition is unknown, but the size of the moat suggests that it was a "substantial" house. The present-day Timperley Hall was probably constructed during the late 18th century, close to the site of the older hall.
There are 48 Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". In England, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Historic England, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.