The Nico Ditch

A medieval treasure dating back to at least 1200, no-onequite knows what the Nico Ditch was for, and this headstone does little to advertise itself hidden in the undergrowth of South Manchester’s Platt Fields.. basically it’s what it says on the tin: a ditch

This is how one blog described it:, but you can find out more on Wikipedia.

The ditch runs across what was the old border between Manchester and Stockport. It isn’t known when it was constructed; some time during the 600 years or so between the Romans leaving and the Normans arriving, it is thought. Possibly a defensive work to keep out Viking invaders from the Danelaw; possibly, and less dramatically, a simple boundary marker, Nico ditch’s purpose is subject to speculation. There are a lot of ‘maybes’. My favourite Nico folklore narrative tells how it was built in one night by the men of Manchester, each man building a section as tall as himself, to keep out the Norsemen.