Fragments of 2nd century pottery from the time of the emperor Hadrian, soil patterns from fifteenth century market gardens, evidence of a pottery kiln and even a late medieval mine shaft have been discovered by archaeologists during excavations at the back of the Wiend.
The finds come just a couple of years after a dig at the site of what is now the Grand Arcade confirmed Wigan’s status as an important Roman settlement.
The latest dig was a condition of planning permission granted by the council for its new library and swimming pool, part of a new civic hub that will transform public services.
Ian Miller from Oxford Archaeology North, says: “We found remains of hearths and furnaces intended for ironworking and bits of pottery from the early 2nd century. There were no coins or bones as these don’t survive in the very acidic soil we have here.”
However mystery still surrounds the exact nature of the settlement. Says Miller: “Sadly we’ve still no firm evidence that Wigan was a military garrison. But the discovery of a hypocaust, or bath house, shows that it was clearly important.”
Just as it is today, Wigan was at the junction of several major roads and the hypocaust could mark that junction. “It’s only speculation but it could have been used by the Roman imperial postal service – the Travel Lodge of its day!” says Miller.
The finds are now going off to external specialists for dating. The Grand Arcade data has not formally been published, and it’s hoped to combine the two digs together in a definitive history.
While the finds from the latest dig have not been as spectacular as the Grand Arcade site, Miller says one of the beauties of the site is that it has provided a picture of subsequent occupations.
He adds: “We found medieval pottery from 11th to 15th century plus large areas of soil suspected to be market gardens dating from a time when the first burgesses got strips of land after Wigan received its market charter.
“We also found a very deep mining shaft from 1600s which has never been capped". Another interesting find was a ‘waster’ – a pottery kiln reject which indicates the site had a medieval pottery workshop. “Wigan was one of the four ancient boroughs of Lancashire and it has a very rich history.”
Discussions are taking place with the History Shop about how best to display the finds.
