2003:1927 - WATERFORD: Henrietta Street, Waterford

The site is in the heart of the Viking area of the walled town. Trench 1 was located in open ground fronting Peter Street adjoining the churchyard of Olaf's Church, the boundary wall of which forms the western limit of the site. The trench revealed a brick-built cellar, possibly originally a barrel-vaulted structure similar to those extant in a restaurant in High Street to the north of the site. A stone cornice marked the entrance from the street. Under this was a dark-brown silty layer (5.170m OD), in which evidence of fish bones was noted. This material was left undisturbed. Trench 2 was in the building which forms the corner of Henrietta Street and Peter Street. An earlier floor was exposed 0.75m below the concrete surface. This overlay a layer of building rubble dating from the 18th century or later. This covered a layer of dark-brown organic-rich material, which was left undisturbed. It lay at 5.185m OD. The third trench was to the rear of the former garage, behind the property fronting Peter Street. A cobbled surface overlay dark silty earth which contained some blackware. The likelihood that this represents the upper layer of undisturbed archaeological strata is high. It was left undisturbed below the level of 6.135m.