2005:1683 - WEXFORD: 9, 11, 13 and 15 Main Street, Wexford

This site (currently Dunne’s Stores) is located within the known Viking and Anglo-Norman settlement of Wexford, extending from the Main Street as far south as the original line of the foreshore. The site is currently occupied by three buildings, which have been amalgamated to form one shop, which has a small open yard to the rear. There is a significant fall in level from the western end of the site to the rear towards the river, in keeping with the general topography of the area. The buildings can be dated to the 19th century and have been modified considerably during various reconstructions. The assessment took the form of monitoring four small engineering test-pits within the building, in addition to evaluating the results of two boreholes inserted at the rear of the site, in the yard. The results suggest that the basements of the buildings are cut almost into boulder clay at the western end of the site, although some medieval deposits do survive in this location. The boreholes at the rear of the site suggest that this area was actively built up and reclaimed from the river by dumping in organic and silt deposits to a depth of 1.5–2m. This early activity is sealed by a layer of rubble measuring 1–2m in depth. Work on this project is ongoing.