1999:017 - PORTRUSH: Northern Counties Hotel, Main Street, Antrim

An assessment was carried out at the site of the former Northern Counties Hotel at Main Street, Portrush, Co. Antrim. The site is at the junction of Mark Street, Lower Mark Street and Main Street, an archaeologically sensitive area believed to be close to the site of an ecclesiastical enclosure. During excavation of a trench for a sewer in connection with the Northern Counties Hotel in the late 1800s, human bone was discovered, and in 1882 'regular' undisturbed interments were found during the laying of sewers through the principal streets of Portrush. This suggests that the burial-ground associated with the medieval church was quite extensive.

Two stages of assessment and monitoring were undertaken. Stage I was carried out by Deirdre Murphy on 3 August 1999, comprising two test-trenches (1–2) and monitoring of six test-pits (1–6), and Stage II monitoring of nine engineering test-pits (7–15) was undertaken by Malachy Conway on 19 November 1999.

Test-pit 1, in the north-west corner of the site, was orientated north-west/south-east and was 2.5m long, 1m wide and at maximum 1.4m deep (OD 11.158m). A red brick rubble layer containing stone and mortar, 0.45m deep, overlay a sterile, sandy layer. Bedrock was encountered at 1.4m.

Test-pit 2, orientated north-south along the northern site boundary, was 4.6m long, 1.3m wide and 1.5m deep. Red brick rubble and mortar 0.42m deep overlay a natural, sandy layer, with rock encountered 0.6m below the surface (OD 11.938m). An early modern east-west foundation wall was visible at a depth of 0.37m at the northern end.

Test-pit 3, excavated south of Test-pit 2, measured 3m2 and 0.5m deep. Red brick rubble and mortar extended to a depth of 0.5m, at which point the natural rock was evident (OD 13.118m). Remains of a red brick manhole were present, quarried down to the bedrock. Eight metres south-east of the pit, bedrock was evident on the surface.

Test-pit 4, excavated along Main Street south-east of Test-pit 2, was 3.5m long, 1.6m wide and 1.5m deep. Red brick rubble, cement, tarmac and stone extended to a depth of 0.55m, below which a sterile, sandy layer was evident to a depth of 1.1m, at which point bedrock was exposed (OD 11.438m).

Test-pit 5, north-west of Test-pit 3, was 2m long, 1.4m wide and 0.55m deep. A concrete yard, 0.2m deep, overlay red brick rubble to a depth of 0.55m, where rock was encountered (OD 12.858m).

Test-pit 6, south of Test-pit 1, close to Mark Street, was 2m long, 1.2m wide and 1.1m deep. Red brick rubble and mortar 0.75m deep overlay a sterile, sandy layer. Bedrock was encountered at a depth of 1.1m (OD 13.098m). A north-south foundation wall of early modern date was evident 0.2m below the surface (OD 13.998m) at the west end of the pit.

Test-pit 7, excavated towards the south-west corner of the site in a south-north direction, was 2.5m long, 1m wide and 1.7m deep. Red brick rubble, stone and mortar 0.8m deep overlay a sterile, sandy layer. Bedrock lay below this layer at a depth of 1.7m+.

Test-pit 8, positioned in the south-west corner of the site, close to the gable wall of the adjoining property on Mark Street, and excavated in a south-north direction, was 3m long, 1m wide and 2m deep. A conglomerate concrete surface containing red brick fragments, stone, mortar and rubble extended to a depth of 0.8m. Below this a sterile, sandy layer extended to a depth of 1.7m. The natural bedrock lay at a depth of 1.7m+.

Test-pit 9, excavated along the western side of the site c. 20m north-west of Test-pit 8, was 3m long, 1m wide and 1.5m deep. Rubble overburden containing the remains of a red brick wall foundation parallel to the street extended to a depth of 0.9m. Below this a sterile, yellow, sandy layer extended to a depth of 1.5m. The natural rock lay at a depth of 1.5m+.

Test-pit 10, excavated at the north-west corner of the site c. 25m north-west of Test-pit 9, was 3m long, 1m wide and 0.4m deep. Rubble overburden mixed with dark brown loam extended to a depth of 0.4m, at which point the natural rock was encountered.

Test-pit 11, along the northern perimeter of the site c. 20m north-east of Test-pit 10, was 3m long, 1m wide and 0.9m deep. Rubble overburden mixed with dark brown loam extended to a depth of 0.9m, at which point the natural rock was encountered.

Test-pit 12, c. 10m north-east of Test-pit 10, was 2.5m long, 1m wide and 1.6m deep (OD 11.358m). Rubble overburden mixed with rubbish and dark brown loam extended to a depth of 1.6m, at which point the floor of a former swimming pool was encountered. Excavations ceased at this depth as the mechanical excavator could not break through this level.

Test-pit 13, excavated in a north-central section of the site, was 3m long, 1m wide and 1.5m deep (OD 11.258m). Rubble overburden extended to a depth of 0.7m, from where a sterile, yellow, sandy layer extended to a depth of 1.5m. Bedrock lay at a depth of 1.5m+.

Test-pit 14, in a west-central position, was 2m long, 1m wide and 0.8m deep (OD 10.558m). Rubble overburden mixed with dark brown loam extended to a depth of 0.8m, at which point the natural rock was encountered.

Test-pit 15 was excavated c. 8m north-east of Test-pit 7 and 8m south-west of a visible rock outcrop in the south-west area of the site. Removal of a very thin layer of rubble not over 0.1m deep revealed natural rock outcrop.

Trench 1 was 11.5m long, 1.4m wide and 0.7m deep. Rubble, brick fragments and sand extended to a depth of 0.5m, below which bedrock was evident. In some places the rock was as close as 0.3m to the surface.

Trench 2 was 30m long, 1.4m wide and 1m deep. A disturbed layer of mortar, red brick rubble and stone extended to a depth of 0.25m at the west end of the trench, below which lay orange boulder clay. Bedrock was encountered at 0.75m below surface. Further east the disturbed rubble layer extended to a depth of 0.6m, below which the boulder clay was evident. The bedrock was here exposed at a depth of 1m.

Although the site is in an archaeologically sensitive area, the environs of a medieval church and graveyard, both stages of testing and excavation of engineering test-pits failed to reveal any archaeological stratigraphy or finds. Clearly the site was stripped down to bedrock sometime in the past, perhaps for the construction of the former hotel. Foundation walls of early modern date encountered in Stage I, Test-pits 3 and 6, and Stage II, Test-pit 9, lay directly on the bedrock. The bedrock on the site appears to be stepped from north-east to south-west. Along Main Street the rock is below the surface; at the centre of the site it is visible on the surface; and further south-west along Mark Street the rock is visible in sections above present ground level. It is possible that the graveyard at one time extended onto this site, but, with the site being stripped to bedrock, any traces of the former burial-ground have been removed. It is also possible that the ecclesiastical remains and the burial-ground were located north-east of the present site and never actually extended this far.

15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth