SMART Archaeology

SMART Archaeology A voluntary archaeology group based in Cheadle, Stockport supporting education and preservation of heritage in the Manchester area

For the education and preservation of heritage in Manchester!

After a busy three days at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle, Stockport our excavation has now come to a close. Huge thanks go...
04/10/2026

After a busy three days at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle, Stockport our excavation has now come to a close.

Huge thanks go to our hardworking volunteers - we couldn’t have done this without you!

Our thanks also go to Manchester Airport Trust Fund whose generous grant enabled us to buy the tools we needed and to the Friends of Higher Mill Wood group, Cheadle Civic Society and Stockport Council for permission/support for this dig.

We’d also like to say thanks to local residents who visited and those of you online who stopped by to comment, sharing some lovely memories of the wood in times gone by.

We’ll now move into the next phase of work behind the scenes.
Finds have to be carefully cleaned and recorded. We need to review all of the data, photos and information we captured to create our site report. We’ll share our findings and add them to our extensive report on previous work on this site.

We’ll leave you, for now, with photographic highlights of our dig and the final photo, of the backfilled trenches.
We pride ourself in following the mantra of ‘leave no trace’. In a short time nature will reclaim this area, once again hiding the history that lies silently underground.

If you’d like to find out more about SMART please check out our website https://southmanchesterarchaeology.wordpress.com

Oh and what are you doing on Thursday 29th October at 7.30pm?
Why don’t you come to our Winter Talk at Cheadle Library Community Room all about the work of Historic England from one of their experts?
They’re the organisation that protects and celebrates Englands historic places, from prehistoric sites to homes.
They identify important heritage, advise on planning, and help people care for historic buildings and landscapes, making sure the nation’s history is understood and preserved.

Everyone is welcome and it’s only £4 for non members.
Hope to see you there.

We made more great progress today on Day 2 of our dig and look what we found in one of the trenches! Our working theory ...
03/10/2026

We made more great progress today on Day 2 of our dig and look what we found in one of the trenches!

Our working theory is that it’s part of the mill machinery repurposed as flooring. The fact that the red material lies flat in the centre circle could also support this theory.

We’ll be cleaning it back further tomorrow and then will move on to the next phase of the work - recording both trenches.

There’s a lot to recording and it’s the activity you rarely see on tv but it’s vital work.
Even as a voluntary group we pride ourselves on “doing archaeology properly”!

If you’re planning a visit tomorrow we’d recommend coming down as early as possible after 9.30am because as soon as we’ve finished recording we are going to be backfilling both trenches.

Please watch your step and only go where instructed as the ground is uneven and there are lots of potential trip hazards. We’d also appreciate it if any dogs were kept on a lead, for their safety as well as ours 🐶 ❤️

Please come back to this account tomorrow to find out about the other trench and all of the finds we recovered over the course of our excavation.

If you’d like to find out more about SMART, the work we do and our new Winter Talks Programme please visit our website
https://southmanchesterarchaeology.wordpress.com

Our excavation is progressing well at Higher Mill in Cheadle thanks to our hard working volunteers!
03/10/2026

Our excavation is progressing well at Higher Mill in Cheadle thanks to our hard working volunteers!

Getting ready for day two of our dig at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle. The weathers looking good too! 🌞
03/10/2026

Getting ready for day two of our dig at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle. The weathers looking good too! 🌞

We’re underway on our dig at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle. This is the less glamorous bit you don’t see on the telly - op...
02/10/2026

We’re underway on our dig at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle.
This is the less glamorous bit you don’t see on the telly - opening up the trenches!

We’re all set for our archaeological excavation at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle, starting tomorrow, Friday 2nd October fo...
01/10/2026

We’re all set for our archaeological excavation at Higher Mill Wood in Cheadle, starting tomorrow, Friday 2nd October for three days.

We’ll be excavating the remains of a corn mill that originated in the medieval period and underwent lots of changes, over hundreds of years, before being demolished in the early 20th century.

We have some key questions we want to answer and we hope to have some interesting finds along the way.

We’re also looking forward to being out in nature, seeing the wildlife that passes by and enjoying the social aspect of digging together. There’s also a rumour that there’ll be chocolate…

If you’re interested in archaeology / history do come and visit us.
Best time to come along will be between 10am and 2pm each day (although check the forecast as we may cancel if we get bad weather).

Be careful in the woods, it’s uneven ground with tree roots and other trip hazards.
Please stay behind our safety fencing, we’ll come to you!

Here are some photos from our last dig on this site to give you an idea of what’s awaiting to be discovered…

What’s awaiting us this time? We’ve got just three days to find out!

What a fantastic talk we had tonight from the Tunnel Inspector aka Phil Catling! Phil shared fascinating facts, tantalis...
24/09/2026

What a fantastic talk we had tonight from the Tunnel Inspector aka Phil Catling!

Phil shared fascinating facts, tantalising tales and powerful photos to illustrate all manner of underground spaces that exist here in Stockport.

From crypts and icehouses to air raid shelters, dungeons and cellars, Phil brought to life the history of these spaces and the people that used them.

There were surprises and funny stories along the way.

Phil described his role in surveying and recording disused underground spaces, creating a permanent record while supporting safe working practices for groups accessing such spaces in Stockport and beyond.

A throughly enjoyable talk and we also welcomed some local visitors. Everyone is welcome at our Winter Talks Programme.

Our next talk will be on the work of Historic England on Thursday 29th October 7.30pm in Cheadle Library Community Room.

See you there?

We’re very excited here at SMART Towers! Why? Well because our sparkly new Winter Talks Programme is about to begin! For...
16/09/2026

We’re very excited here at SMART Towers!

Why? Well because our sparkly new Winter Talks Programme is about to begin!

Forget Terry’s talk on buttons in Danebury Village Hall, this is the real deal!

Please join us on Thursday 24th September at 7.30pm - all welcome - only £4 entrance fee for non members.

Phil Catling will explore the history, current state and background of the largest purpose-built civilian air raid shelters in the world as well as other underground spaces in Stockport.

We’ve got a wide range of fantastic talks lined up over the next few months including:
- the work of Historic England
- excavations in and around Manchester cathedral
- horses and horse gear in late Bronze Age and Iron Age Britain…
…and more!

You’ll find us in Cheadle Library’s Community Room - from the front entrance follow the path that goes to the right and to the back of the building. Tea and coffee will be available for a small extra charge.
On arrival please sign in and put your payment in the pot.

Please share with anyone who is interested, we look forward to seeing you there.

It’s back! Our Winter Talks Programme!Please join us on Thursday 24th September at 7.30pm - all welcome, only £4 entranc...
23/08/2026

It’s back! Our Winter Talks Programme!

Please join us on Thursday 24th September at 7.30pm - all welcome, only £4 entrance fee for nonmembers.

We are very pleased to announce that our first Guest Speaker will be Phil Catling aka The Tunnel Inspector.

Phil is a qualified archaeologist and former manager of Stockport Air Raid Shelters who now sits on the SubBrit committee, an organisation dedicated to the study and recording of man made underground spaces.

In his talk, Phil will explore the history, current state and background of the largest purpose-built civilian air raid shelters in the world as well as other underground spaces in Stockport.

You’ll find us in Cheadle Library’s Community Room - from the front entrance follow the path that goes to the right and to the back of the building. Tea and coffee will be available for a small extra charge.
On arrival please sign in and put your payment in the pot.

Please share with anyone who is interested, we look forward to seeing you there.

We’ve had a great time this evening hosting an archaeology workshop for a local Brownie group, to help them achieve thei...
09/07/2026

We’ve had a great time this evening hosting an archaeology workshop for a local Brownie group, to help them achieve their Archaeology Badge.

We explored what archaeology is, what archaeologists do and the Brownies took part in a range of interactive and fun activities.

These included looking at artefacts from different eras, understanding different words and terms and examining collections of items to work out what they tell us about the people that owned them.

Who knows, we may have inspired some future archaeologists!

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Manchester
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