1996:212 - KILKENNY: New Building Lane, Kilkenny

Arising from an application for planning permission to redevelop the site at New Building Lane, an archaeological investigation was undertaken at the site. This work was carried out on 1–2 June 1996.

New Building Lane extends from close to the medieval Dominican Black Abbey to Parliament Street. The city wall crosses the lane near its western end and the majority of the lane lies within the medieval town. The site itself lies midway along the northern side of the lane. Rocque's map of c. 1758 shows no buildings on this site. The standing building on the site appears to date to the late eighteenth century and occupies the entire length of the site.

Two trenches were excavated to establish the stratigraphic sequence across the site. Further trenches were dug to clarify the relationship of the post-medieval/modern layers to the existing building. Trench 2 was dug by mechanical excavator and the remaining trenches were dug by hand.

The results from both trenches were generally similar. Post-medieval/modern layers comprised the first 0.4–0.7m below existing ground level. These strata consisted of mortar grouting, mixed layers made up of earth, stone and mortar, and a layer of compact clay. Beneath these was a further series of layers, including a mixed layer, a silt, fine metalling and cobbles, and finally a silt which contained late seventeenth-and eighteenth-century pottery (C. McCutcheon, pers. comm.). Below this was a homogeneous 'garden soil' (0.48–0.62m thick) which overlay the naturally occurring gravel.

From its earliest occupation, possibly in the medieval period, the site appears to have been used for cultivation. This is consistent with its position close to the town wall and as part of the plots which fronted onto Parliament Street. There is no record of a lane in this position in the medieval period (B. Murtagh, pets. comm.). At some point in the eighteenth century, and presumably when or after the lane had been laid out, the site was surfaced with cobbles which sloped downwards from south to north. This surface may have been related to development elsewhere on the lane. At the gable ends of the standing building are earlier walls which appear to be incorporated from the adjacent plots. Layers above the cobbled surface appear to relate to the construction and occupation of the standing building in the late eighteenth century. A full architectural survey was carried out on the standing building by Mr B. Murtagh.

Laweesh No. 1, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford