Greater Manchester Archaeology Unit

Architecture Building Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL Tel: 0161-275-2314 Fax: 0161-275-2315

The Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit (GMAU) is based at the University of Manchester Field Archaeology Centre. GMAU acts as the archaeological curator for the ten districts of Greater Manchester. It liaises with interested individuals and organisations, at local and national level, to improve public access to the archaeology of the county, through display, education, excavation and pulication.

A key function of GMAU is its responsibility for maintaining a register of all known archaeological sites in Greater Manchester. This is known as the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) which currently has over 12,500 entries. The type of archaeological site covered includes find spots of individual items (pottery, metalwork), buried remains such as ancient burials, Roman forts and Medieval moats, historic buildings (both listed and unlisted) and industrial sites such as textile mills, railways and canals.

The SMR is a public document and can be viewed by appointment with the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit. The inclusion of a site on the SMR gives it formal recognition in the planning process and local planning authorities take account of this in drawing up development plans and reaching planning decisions.