2005:820 - KILKENNY: 11 Patrick Street, Kilkenny

Following test excavations carried out by Jacinta Kiely in 1999 (Excavations 1999, No. 450, 99E0757), further excavations took place in 2005 at the former site of Stratham’s Garage, No. 11 Patrick Street, Kilkenny. These revealed a dense concentration of medieval and post-medieval refuse pits, in addition to a post-medieval cobbled surface and a small section of a post-medieval wall. The site was loosely divided into five Areas, A–E.

Areas A and B were located towards the centre of the site in the northern portion. As they were near each other, they will be discussed together and will be referred to as Area A1B. In total 99 contexts were recorded in Area A1B, including nineteen medieval pits, nine post-medieval pits, a post-medieval linear feature, three modern features, twelve pits of unknown date and two linear features of unknown date.

Area C was the final area to be stripped by machine and was located along the southern edge of the excavation site. In total, 75 contexts were recorded in this area, comprising fifteen medieval pits, eight post-medieval pits, six pits of unknown date and a linear feature of unknown date.

Area D encompassed the eastern portion of the site. A total of 52 contexts were recorded here, producing material of both medieval and post-medieval date. The features consisted of six medieval pits, a medieval boundary ditch and curvilinear feature, two layers of medieval material, seven post-medieval pits, three pits and four furrows of unknown date.

Area E was at the western end of the site, which fronts onto Patrick Street. This area had been truncated in places due to ground disturbance associated with Stratham’s Garage. In total, 49 contexts were excavated here and produced material of medieval and post-medieval date. However, compared with the other areas of the excavation, very little medieval material was encountered. The features consisted of three medieval pits, five isolated post-medieval pits, a post-medieval cobblestone surface that lay above a number of earlier post-medieval pits and two linear features, the foundation remains of a post-medieval wall that truncated an earlier post-medieval pit and ditch, a post-medieval stone-lined sewage outlet and two pits of unknown date.

In total, some 80 pits were excavated, with a small number of linear features and post-medieval structural elements also being present. The evidence from the excavation would suggest that the area originally formed part of an Anglo-Norman burgage plot, which was intensively utilised. No evidence of a medieval structure was recorded on site. Any form of medieval house site may have been destroyed during the construction of the buildings that fronted onto Patrick Street or they may have been located further west, under the footpath and/or road surface. The material recorded is comparable to that of other urban excavations in Kilkenny.

Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork