County: Antrim Site name: Custom House Square, Belfast
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: AE/07/081
Author: Colin Dunlop, Northern Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 638 Springfield Road Belfast, BT12 7DY.
Site type: Post-medieval docks
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 734112m, N 874565m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.601535, -5.924288
Several phases of built archaeology were present on the site. The first of these was the original quay wall present at the west of the site. This was followed by the construction a dock/quay wall running along the north of the site and a series of buildings at the end of and running parallel to the quayside. There was a final phase of docking present on the site; the Limekiln Dock was also located at the north of the site and extended from the end of the second phase of dock/quayside. These various phases of dock and quayside were each accompanied by land-reclamation phases. After the docks were filled in, a series of red-brick drains were constructed across the site, and these were in turn covered by the laying out of Albert Square. The final phase of construction on the site was during the 20th century, when a low-level brick building was erected. This building was demolished prior to the excavation and only scant remains were present on site.
By comparing the archaeological evidence to the cartographic evidence it is possible to identify the first dock with the Salt House Dock that is first apparent on the 1790 map and appears to be connected with either the salt works or the Jones, Tomb & Co. Timberyard.
