County: Louth Site name: DROGHEDA: Dyer Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0242
Author: Donald Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Tannery, Kiln - brick and Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 708822m, N 775044m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.713719, -6.351434
An assessment of a proposed commercial development at Dyer Street, Drogheda, was carried out in September 1999. The development involves the construction of a basement carpark and an overhead commercial premises. The site is on the north bank of the River Boyne, along the south side of Dyer Street in the centre of the medieval town, in an area of high archaeological potential.
The site was cleared of existing buildings, and a concrete yard and 19th–20th-century topsoil were removed under archaeological supervision. Following the removal of this debris, features became evident on the surface almost immediately. In the south-east corner of the site a series of timber tanning boxes was exposed at a depth of 1m, and north of these a stone wall extending in an east-west direction was evident. In the southern half of the site a substantial stone and brick building of post-medieval date was noted, and a possible brick kiln survived inside the structure. To the west of the building was a post-medieval stone culvert.
Twelve trenches were excavated. They revealed the presence of medieval stratigraphy over most of the site. To the north, deposits were exposed that consisted of medieval floors and surfaces. In this area stratigraphy survived to a depth of 1m below present ground level but was not undisturbed and was cut by later features such as walls, culverts and basements. To the east of the site two east-west walls of possible medieval date may form part of a single structure, and north of this feature a substantial stone wall of late medieval date was encountered. An upright timber post of medieval date in the same area may form part of a revetment along an earlier riverbank. This feature also divides the site north-south, and the southern half contains a black, organic layer over 1m thick, below stratified deposits. This layer contained timber, leather and sherds of medieval pottery. The scale of the proposed development has not yet been finalised, and it was recommended that the site be excavated before any development.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
