County: Meath Site name: LAYTOWN: Alverno Hotel
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1003
Author: Tom Rogers, Moore Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 716437m, N 771543m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.680630, -6.237450
Testing was undertaken to the rear of the Alverno Hotel on 26 and 27 June 2002, before the construction of 36 houses and three shop units. The site lay on a slight rise to the north of the River Nanny, at the point where it enters the Irish Sea. A multi-period site was excavated by James Eogan and Martin Reid at Ninch, c. 1km to the north-west (Excavations 2000, No. 760, 98E0501).
The site surrounds the hotel on three sides. Eight test-trenches were opened, each 15m long and 1.6m wide. Stratigraphy was generally similar. Topsoil, c. 0.6m deep, was a loose, mid-brown, sandy silt, with inclusions of small round stones and occasional flecks of charcoal, brick and modern glazed pottery. Beneath was a layer of gravel with inclusions of round cobbles (up to 0.1m in diameter) and a layer of bright yellow, sandy clay with few inclusions. This in turn overlay a loose, fine beach gravel with inclusions of small round stones.
No features or finds of archaeological significance were uncovered. The field was tilled within living memory to grow vegetables for the hotel.
Unit 6, Riveroaks, Claregalway, Co. Galway
