County: Westmeath Site name: ANNEBROOK HOUSE, PEARSE STREET, MULLINGAR
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1113
Author: Tim Coughlan, for IAC Ltd, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dœn Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
Site type: Urban medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 643841m, N 752922m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.524437, -7.338825
Testing and monitoring were undertaken at Annebrook House, Pearse Street, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, prior to a proposed residential development. Monitoring was carried out in the area to the south of Annebrook House on 14 and 15 July 2004 and testing was carried out in the courtyard area to the north of Annebrook House on 14 and 15 December 2004.
Previous testing at the site by Dominic Delany in January 2003 (Excavations 2003, No. 1997, 03E0042) had identified a potential archaeological deposit in Trench 6, which was to be further examined. If it was not possible to retain the stone-lined well and a cobbled surface in the courtyard area, these were to be recorded prior to being removed.
The cobbled surface was uncovered in the northwest of the courtyard area extending 6.9m north-south by 4.6m. Elsewhere there was evidence of the remains of a cobbled surface, but this did not survive as an intact layer. The circular stone-lined well located roughly in the centre of the courtyard area is probably contemporary with Annebrook House and with the cobbled courtyard.
A culverted drainage feature constructed of red brick and stone was located immediately to the east of the well and served to drain water eastwards to the River Brosna. It is likely that this feature was also contemporary with the cobbled courtyard.
The potential archaeological deposit identified in previous testing was uncovered at a depth of 0.9-1m. This deposit was 0.52m in depth and was found to have inclusions of organic material such as twigs and wood, animal bone and hazelnut shells. Fragments of a post-medieval leather shoe and two sherds of medieval pottery were also recovered from this layer. While archaeological material was found within this deposit - a peaty layer - the deposit itself is located in a naturally wet boggy pool adjacent to the river and has probably built up naturally rather than archaeologically. The artefacts could have been dumped or washed in from the river. Modern debris would probably also have been identified in this location had the area not been sealed by the cobbled yard. Further limited hand excavation of the deposit confirmed that it was not of particular archaeological significance and it was removed by machine.
