County: Cork Site name: CORK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 74:34(01, 02), 74:122 Licence number: 01E0984 ext.
Author: Hilary Kelleher, c/o City Archaeologist’s Office, Planning Department
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 566530m, N 571749m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.896892, -8.486316
Monitoring of slit-trenches and pipe laying was undertaken as part of the Main Drainage Scheme, Phase 2. Monitoring of this phase has been continuing since November 2001; over 245 trenches have been monitored. Several features of archaeological significance have been identified and recorded, all of which date to the post-medieval period. Archaeological features were identified in the following areas: west of the medieval city, where suburbs were developed on reclaimed marshes from the end of the 18th century, i.e. Western Road, Ferry walk, Mardyke Walk, Thomas Davis Bridge and Dyke Parade; and east of the medieval city, where suburbs were developed on reclaimed river channels and marshes from the late 17th century, i.e. South Mall, Oliver Plunkett Street, Grand Parade and Parnell Place.
The features noted in the slit-trenches were stone walls, culverts and drains, as well as railway tracks and associated cobbled surfaces. The walls were built of limestone and red sandstone and were generally mortar bonded; they may represent houses, boundary walls or other buildings. Culverts provided evidence of the covering over and/or filling in of the river channels in the city from the end of the 17th century. Evidence of stone-lined and capped drains was also commonly found in the trenches. Among the artefacts found were post-medieval and early modern pottery, glass, clay pipes and some animal bone. The stratigraphy of the trenches was generally made up of rubble road surfacing, sands and gravel infill.
Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork
