2007:962 - 18, 19 and 21 High Street (rear of), Kilkenny, Kilkenny

A preliminary assessment of a proposed development within the medieval core of Kilkenny city was undertaken. The site envelops two separate burgage plots, each of which contained standing Renaissance-period (c. 1580–1630) buildings. The southern plot contains the standing remains of the stone mansion and walled garden built in 1582 by Martin Archer, a prominent merchant. The northern plot is occupied by the Georgian ‘St Mary’s Glebe House’, a structure that also contains Renaissance-period fabric.
The proposal is to construct a commercial centre and to conserve a suite of standing historic structures on the site. A preliminary assessment report was requested by the client in order to identify the potential archaeological implications of the proposed development and also to inform its design and layout. Assessment included testing. On foot of the appraisal, it was clear that the subject site was of high archaeological potential and the testing programme identified deeply stratified archaeological materials ranging in date from the 13th to 19th century throughout the proposed development area.
The nature of the materials suggests backyard pitting and horticultural activity associated with burgage plots in the medieval period. Substantial stone burgage walls were also constructed at this time, the lower courses of which survived beneath later additions. This was followed in the Renaissance period by the laying out of walled gardens and yards to the rear of newly built stone mansions. In the Georgian era deep garden soils were introduced for orchards and a coach house associated with the St Mary’s Glebe House was constructed. Deposits associated with the remodelling of the Inner Archer House to a tavern known as the ‘Hole in the Wall’ were also identified.
During the test-excavations 262 artefacts were recovered. These included local and imported pottery sherds, clay-pipe fragments, bottle glass, ferrous objects and two Georgian coins.
At the time of writing it is proposed that all of the historic walls/buildings within the site will be retained, conserved and presented within the new development, and the medieval plot lines will be respected in the design layout. If the development is to proceed it will be necessary to undertake archaeological excavation of much of the buried archaeology within the site. A key recommendation was that any such works should occur within the context of a ‘garden archaeology’ research project.