County: Meath Site name: TRIM: Dublin Road (Friaryland 3rd Division)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0071
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 699630m, N 759521m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.552217, -6.776229
As part of the ongoing Trim Sewerage Improvement Scheme a new pumping station was constructed beside the existing one, which was demolished. The hall was also to be demolished. The site is c. 100m east of the curtain wall of Trim Castle. This is well outside the line of the castle ditch, and the site is also outside the zone of archaeological potential for the town. It is likely that the area was disturbed in the past, both at the time of the construction of the existing pumping station and when the hall was built. The hall, a concrete block structure with a tin roof, served as a boxing club premises for some time, and the stretch of ground between the hall and the pumping station was surfaced.
When the hall was demolished it was found to have been built on ground that had been reduced by no more than 0.5m, with no foundation trenches for the walls. A thin layer of brown clay lay underneath, which came down onto a layer of grey gravel and sand. Combined, these two layers were c. 1.5m deep, and they overlay bedrock at that depth. The latter comprised a shaley limestone material.
An area c. 20m2 and 5–6m deep was excavated by mechanical digger. The stratigraphy of brown clay overlying grey gravel/sand overlying bedrock was consistent over the area of the excavation. Bedrock was excavated out by machine.
It became clear that there was much disturbance when the existing pumphouse was constructed, as modern rubbish was found in the fill abutting the pumphouse. This extended to a depth of 6m. The upper levels west of the existing pumphouse had also been disturbed by the insertion of services etc. leading to the existing pumphouse.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
