1999:090 - BLACKPOOL BYPASS, Cork, Cork

Archaeological monitoring of the Blackpool Bypass was completed in March 1999. In early 1999 the foundations of a substantial limestone, sandstone and red brick building with an industrial stack were recorded in the former Hewitt's Watercourse Distillery. The building was marked as 'steam mills' on the Ordnance Survey 5-inch map of 1869; however, it was identified as 'the entrance to a multi-storey grain store and kiln drying complex' in the industrial archaeology survey carried out as part of this development. On the evidence of the roof construction of a surviving part of the building, it was dated to the late 18th century (Rynne 1999, 16–17).

The construction features of the main stack at Hewitt's Distillery (a landmark in the Blackpool Valley) were recorded and found to be comparable to other industrial stacks in the British Isles. The base of the stack measured 5.5m north-south by 5.2m and was built in the first part of the 19th century, while the upper levels were built in the 1870s. The stack was 28.9m high. The lower (and earlier) levels of the outer shell were of mortar-bonded, coursed red sandstone rubble, and the upper levels were constructed of brick. The outer shell was strengthened by the insertion of bars of cast iron within the masonry. The inside of the stack was lined with a layer of large Staffordshire firebricks. The average size of the firebricks was 0.46m by 0.28m by 0.14m. The firebricks in turn enclosed an unmortared, central, circular flue of wedge-shaped yellow bricks laid on their beds. The manufacturer of these bricks was J. & M. Craig, Kilmarnock. 'The original purpose of the stack was to create a draught for the boiler furnaces and to disperse the fumes created by this process' (Rynne 1999, 13). At the lower levels of the stack two flues were recorded.

Samples from two of the tanning pits excavated in 1998 (Excavations 1998, 17) were analysed by Meriel McClatchie (Archaeological Services Unit, UCC) for archaeobotanical remains. Both samples contained plant material preserved as a result of waterlogging. A range of plant species was present in the samples, providing evidence for foodstuffs and the surrounding environment. The samples also contained a wide range of other material, including coprolites, textile fragments, animal hair, mosses, insect remains and charred and waterlogged wood fragments. The plant material in the samples probably reflects the background environment around the pits. The weed seeds present are commonly found in medieval assemblages from Dublin and Waterford from contexts associated with disturbed and waste ground. The samples did not contain plant material, such as bark, that can be directly associated with the tanning process, but leather fragments and animal hair were recovered.

Reference
Rynne, C. 1999 An industrial archaeology survey of selected sites in the Watercourse Road Area, Cork City. Unpublished report carried out for Cork Corporation Planning Department.

City Hall, Cork