2006:2139 - 1 Main Street South, Wexford, Wexford

Planning permission was granted by Wexford Borough Council for the redevelopment of the site at No. 1 South Main Street, Wexford. The planning schedule required pre-development testing and supervision of the removal of existing floor slabs. The site lay within the most ancient part of Wexford town. This area has been part of the urban environment of Wexford since the foundation of the town in the 10th century and right through to the medieval period.
The ground beneath the building at No. 1 South Main Street falls into two areas: the street frontage (i.e. the existing four-storey building), where the building overlies made-up ground of 17th/18th-century date, and the backyard extension, which was built on rock. The rear extension was excavated into the hill slope when the backyard extension was built in the 1960s, consequently ancient remains were not present.
Four test-trenches were excavated in the street-fronting unit of the property. As the general floor area of the existing building would not be subject to disturbance, trenches were confined to those areas where groundworks were to take place. The foundations of the four-storey house of late 18th-/early 19th-century date disturbed the ground to a depth of up to 1m; at this level natural boulder clay occurred. There were no finds or features of archaeological significance.