In the Southwest corner of the City of Manchester, at the confluence of the Rivers Medlock and Irwell, lies the Conservation Area of Castlefield. The name "Castlefield" was given to the area in the eighteenth century when the outward boundaries of the Georgian town were skirted by the ten foot walls of the "castle in the field." The crumbling walls were the remains of a old Roman fort, Mamucium, and the remains of the oldest known settlement at Manchester. With the Industrial Revolution introducing canals during the Georgian period, and the railways of the Victorian period, much of the evidence of the original fort and settlement were obliterated. Today Castlefield suffers from a poor environment in many respects, yet it is an area filled with ties to the City's past and has tremendous potential. An understanding of the past will hopefully help realize it's potential.