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As an initial stage of a planned major redevelopment, OA North was commissioned by Manchester City Council to excavate the rich remains of the industrial heritage in Eastlands adjacent to the Manchester City Football Stadium.
The most important elements included Bradford Colliery and Bradford Iron Works, where buried structural remains were exposed by evaluation trenching in December 2009.
Extensive excavation began in March 2010, exposing the remains of numerous buildings on the colliery pit bank, including the winding engine houses, associated boiler house, the fan house, and processing plant, allowing the chronological development of the colliery to be documented.
Excavation of the iron works was targeted on the main processing areas. Among the exposed remains were several types of furnaces, providing important evidence for the early development of Siemens-type regenerative technology. The remains of this 19th-century cutting-edge technology provide an interesting juxtaposition in the shadow of the 21st-century Eastlands stadium.