process, including parts of the vicus. Mills were all around the site. Castlefield became the south west corner of Manchester city centre. Deansgate, which developed into the main thoroughfare, follows the general line of Roman road to Ribchester. 20th century The first archaeological investigation of Mamucium was in 1906. Francis Bruton, who would later work on the Roman fort at Castleshaw, excavated the fort's western defences. A series of small-scale excavations were undertaken intermittently between 1912 and 1967, generally exploring the northern defences of the fort. In the mid-20th century, historian A. J. P. Taylor called the surviving stretch of Roman wall "the least interesting Roman remains in Britain". The first excavation of the vicus was carried out in the 1970s under Professor Barri Jones. In 1982 the fort, along with the rest of the Castlefield area, became the United Kingdom's first Urban Heritage Park, and partial reconstructions of the forts walls, including the ramparts and gateways, were opened in 1984. In 2001–05 the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit carried out excavations in the vicus to further investigate the site before the area underwent any more regeneration or reconstruction. The archaeological investigation of Mamucium Roman fort and its associated civilian settlement has, so far, provided approximately 10,000 artefacts. Layout The fort measured by and was surrounded by a double ditch and wooden rampart. Around AD 200 the wooden rampart was replaced by stone ramparts, measuring between and thick. The vicus associated with Mamucium surrounded the site on the west, north, and east sides, with the majority lying to the north. The vicus covered about and the fort about . Buildings within the vicus would have generally been one storey, timber framed, and of wattle and daub construction. There may have been a cemetery to the south east of the fort. Templeborough Roman Fort in Yorkshire was rebuilt in stone in the 2nd century and covered an area of , similar to Mamucium which covered . See also History of Manchester Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester References Bibliography 79 establishments History of Manchester Roman fortifications in England Tourist attractions in Manchester Scheduled monuments in Greater Manchester Former populated places in Greater Manchester Articles containing video clips Roman auxiliary forts in England