Castlefield

Castlefield
Castlefield, Central Manchester
Castlefield Location within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SJ830976
Metropolitan borough	Manchester
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M3
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°28′30″N 2°15′18″W / 53.475°N 2.255°W / 53.475; -2.255

Castlefield is an inner-city conservation area in Manchester, North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester. It was the terminus of the Bridgewater Canal, the world's first industrial canal, built in 1764; the oldest canal warehouse opened in 1779. The world's first passenger railway terminated here in 1830, at Liverpool Road railway station^[1] and the first railway warehouse opened here in 1831.

The Rochdale Canal met the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield in 1805 and in the 1830s they were linked with the Mersey and Irwell Navigation by two short cuts. In 1848 the two viaducts of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway crossed the area and joined each other, two further viaducts and one mainline station Manchester Central railway station followed. It has a tram station, Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop (formerly G-Mex) providing frequent Manchester Metrolink services to Eccles, Bury, Altrincham, Manchester Piccadilly, East Didsbury and Rochdale.

Castlefield was designated a conservation area in 1980 and the United Kingdom's first designated urban heritage park in 1982.^[2][3]