County: Antrim Site name: LARNE: Coastguard Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/06/100
Author: Chris Long, Gahan & Long Ltd.
Site type: Raised beach
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 739989m, N 901983m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.846103, -5.820235
It was proposed to construct a nursing home at Coastguard Road, Larne, Co. Antrim. The proposed development was constructed using piled foundations, with the pile caps being inserted to a depth of 0.6m. Testing took place on 10 May 2006 and consisted of the mechanical excavation of two test-trenches. Trench 1 was opened to examine an area of raised-beach material along the east limits of the site. It was excavated to the lower depth of the formation level of the pile caps. No archaeology was present.
Trench 2 was opened to identify the western extent of the raised-beach material to the lower depth of the formation level of the pile caps. A single archaeological feature was identified towards the east end of the trench. This consisted of a ditch, which appeared to extend roughly north–south. The ditch was identified in section and was found to be 1.2m wide and 0.4m deep. It was cut into the raised-beach material and was subsequently backfilled with the same material. This makes dating the feature difficult, as flint was found throughout the raised beach, as well as the redeposited beach-material fill. The ditch may have been used as a boundary marker.
The pile caps and associated crossbeams were excavated through raised-beach material. No further evidence of archaeological features was identified during the course of this work.
7–9 Castlereagh Street, Belfast, BT5 4NE
