County: Waterford Site name: WATERFORD: Exchange Street/High Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 9:5 Licence number: 01E0515
Author: Maurice F. Hurley
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 660806m, N 612476m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.260632, -7.109257
The site is at the junction of High Street and Exchange Street within the Hiberno-Norse core of Waterford City. It is partially occupied by standing buildings and partially by surface carparks. Part of the site was excavated by Sarah Stephens in 1984–5, but a full report on this excavation was unavailable. There are some significant changes of level within the site, largely reflecting the natural contour. The ground slopes gently from the north side of High Street, with a significant fall of c. 2m midway through the site.
The testing established that the extent of Ms Stephens’s 1984–5 excavation was c. 16m north–south by 15m. A basement existed in the north-west corner of the site; consequently it is now known that no archaeological remains of the ancient High Street frontage survive on this site.
The testing revealed that an area of undisturbed stratigraphy survives to the north of the basement and to the west of the 1984–5 excavation. The stratigraphy is c. 2m deep and contains remains from the 12th–18th centuries, with variable levels of organic preservation. To the north of this the ramp is entirely made up of modern material. The infill of rubble to create the ramp is certain in the light of blocked-up windows on the west side of the ramp and below current surface level. We also know that archaeological stratigraphy does not survive for a depth of 1.5m below the base of the ramp, and the ground below this level appears to be natural.
312 Bruach na Laoi, Union Quay, Cork
