County: Waterford Site name: WATERFORD: John Street/Waterside
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 06E0150
Author: Damian Shiels and Gillian McCarthy, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Town defences, Structure and Kiln - lime
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 660835m, N 612096m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.257211, -7.108906
The excavation was carried out as part of a proposed development within the zone of influence of the medieval walled town of Waterford (WA009–005). The site was directly adjacent to John’s Gate, a protected structure (RPS 221, section of city wall), and revealed archaeology immediately outside and to the south of the medieval city wall. A series of modern walls were demolished and the levels within the site were reduced. A number of test-pits were excavated in the area of proposed pile construction. This revealed part of the medieval city wall, a possible quay wall, features associated with John’s Gate and a limekiln.
The city wall was uncovered for a distance of 17m in a north-east/south-west direction and to a depth of 0.6m. It ran parallel to John’s River and joined John’s Gate at the south-west. A number of test-pits were opened inside the area of John’s Gate. These revealed a number of sherds of post-medieval pottery which lay on a stone floor surface. A possible quay wall was discovered 5.5m outside the city wall. It was located between John’s River and the city wall and ran for a distance of 11m, where it was disturbed at the south-western end by a later limekiln. This limekiln was constructed from three separate stone walls with a brick floor and had a cobbled surface to the north. The majority of the site was covered with the waste material from the limekiln.
Finds consisted of the post-medieval pottery from within the gatehouse and an amount of cattle horn cores found in the estuarine silts outside the city wall.
Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork
