2001:695 - KILKENNY: NOR-9, Bateman Quay, Kilkenny

Introduction
Archaeological excavation of a riverside stone jetty or landing-stage was undertaken by the writer (licence ref.: 01E0554), with underwater assistance from Dr Niall Brady of ADCO Ltd. (licence ref.: 01E0036), between July and September 2001 at Bateman Quay, Townparks, Kilkenny. The work formed part of ongoing pre-development mitigation for the River Nore (Kilkenny City) Drainage Scheme (formerly known as the Kilkenny Flood Relief Scheme). Proposed development included removal of this site within a 6m-wide section of the right riverbank at this location, as part of the river-widening scheme. Full excavation followed on from an underwater assessment of the site by Niall Brady in 2000 (Excavations 2000, No. 549, 00D033), and land-based assessment of Bateman Quay by the writer in the same year (Excavations 2000, No. 551, 00E0405).

Background
The site lies within the medieval city of Kilkenny, on the right bank of the River Nore, along the approximate line of the eastern ‘High Town’ or ‘English Town’ of the riverside medieval town wall. The earliest reference to a quay at this location is in the 17th century, when the New Quay was built to link the river to the fish market, ‘The Shambles’, at the junction of Parliament Street, St Kieran’s Street and High Street. This is clearly marked on Rocque’s map of 1758. Bateman Quay is a 20th-century amalgamation of a series of perpendicular garden plots (probably medieval burgage plots) extending from High Street/St Kieran’s Street to the riverbank. By the early 19th century some of these garden plots possessed a riverside Teahouse or Pleasure House with associated pier or jetty that are clearly marked on the first and/or second edition Ordnance Survey maps. Of these, two such buildings survive today as a fully restored single-storey ‘teahouse’ (site code NOR-7) and a ruinous two-storey gazebo (site code NOR-6; seeExcavations 2001, No. 696). Two other unassociated riverside jetties were noted in assessment (site codes NOR-9 and NOR-10), and were both subject to full excavation in advance of development (Brady, licence 00D033). Site NOR-9 was associated with the rear garden plot of Kytler’s Inn, on St Kieran’s Street.

Methodology
Because of the nature of this site and its proximity to the river, the excavation undertaken was both underwater and land-based. The dryland and underwater work was carried out in concert. Following the mechanical reduction of modern overburden from the landward side and underwater dredge excavation, full excavation of the site was undertaken from both sides. Dismantling of all stone walls was then carried out by hand, from the landward side, following lowering of the water-table, to facilitate rebuilding at a later stage.

Archaeological results
Excavation revealed two phases of riverside activity dating from the mid-17th/early 18th century and the later 18th/early 19th century respectively. Both phases seem to relate to private moorings for domestic use rather than an industrial purpose. The rebuilding appears to be related to a rise in water-levels associated with the building of weirs across the river at Ormonde Mills, Mill Island (see Excavations 2001, No. 708) and Lacken Weir, both upstream and downstream of the site. This resulting raising of the floor level was also noted at Bridge House, 67–9 John’s Street (Margaret Gowen, Excavations 1995, No. 169; Edmond O’Donovan, Excavations 1998, No. 351; and Paul Stevens, Excavations 1999, No. 446, all 95E0053) and Mill Island (No. 708, Excavations 2001). Both structures were built of reused vernacular architectural stone fragments, dating from the medieval, Tudor and post-medieval periods.

Phase 1
The earlier phase was a substantial stone jetty, with riverside wall, gateway and flag steps leading to the river. The wall was a random-rubble limestone mortared wall, with plastered riverside face, measuring over 8.5m long (north–south), 0.84m thick and 1.3m+ in truncated height. The southern end was roughly finished, with no adjoining masonry. However, truncation from later walls and modern disturbance removed all trace of the northern end. The entranceway was also truncated; it lay 2m north of the southern terminus and was 1.25m wide, with two square, cut-stone spud sockets, to hold a 1m-wide iron gate. The limestone flag steps, although partially truncated by later additions, measured 1.2m in width with a rise and tread of 0.3m. The wall appeared to rest on an uneven layer of waterlogged clay containing artefacts dating from the late 17th or early 18th century. The steps were built on mortared rubble, with a large basal flag.

Phase 2
This later phase represented a more advanced jetty wall and steps, an associated alignment of oak stakes in the river (for mooring boats), and a rectangular gazebo or pleasure-house-type building to the rear.

The wall was a coursed squared-limestone mortared wall, 7.5m long (north–south) by 0.46m thick and 2m in truncated height. Limestone steps measured 2.5m in width with a rise and tread of 0.4m, and were constructed on a mortared rubble foundation and the earlier steps (Phase 1), within two retaining limestone mortared walls abutting the earlier riverside wall and bonded to the outer riverside wall. This riverside wall was built on a line of fifteen oak roundwood piles, c. 1m long and c. 0.1m in diameter, 2.7m out from the earlier wall, within riverine muds.

The pleasure-house structure was contemporary with the jetty and bonded to it. It was rectangular with two parallel rubble limestone mortared walls, 5.95m+ and 2.8m+ long, 0.47m thick and 2m+ high. A truncated crushed mortar floor abutted the earlier Phase 1 wall, measuring 3m+ in length extending west of the Phase 1 wall, by 2.8–3m in width.

The site was heavily truncated by a number of features, including a modern storm drain, a land drain, a live foul sewer and a gabion river-revetment wall, which delineated the northern limit of the site, as well as landscaping for the construction of the present Bateman Quay road.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin