2004:1698 - 35 MICHAEL STREET, WATERFORD, Waterford

This development is for a small extension to the rear of a bakery/delicatessen in Michael Street in the city centre. The site adjoins the ruins of a medieval or indeed possibly Late Viking Age church of St Michael. All that remains aboveground is a gable end of the church. The street lies immediately outside the Viking walled city in the part of the city of Waterford that was walled at the time of the Anglo-Norman control of the city.

What used to be a laneway leading to the church site is now blocked by a small shop. The extension to the rear of the site is single storeyed and very limited in area. The foundations were less than 0.5m deep and did not disturb any archaeological material. The southern trench revealed brown soil underneath 0.5m of modern material. The eastern trench revealed a flagstone surface. Over the surface was a brown silty soil with red brick and flecks of mortar. The level of the floor or yard surface was at 0.45m below the current ground surface. It was decided to leave this in situ and build over it. The appearance of brown soil at the base of Trench A and the survival of the flags in Trench B may serve to inform the planning process for future development in the area that, below 0.5m, it is likely that archaeological remains survive.