2007:974 - Former Bishop’s Palace, Troy’s Gate/Vicar Street, Kilkenny, Kilkenny

Monitoring of all groundworks associated with the refurbishment of the former Bishop’s Palace, Kilkenny city, was undertaken during 2007. The former Bishop’s Palace is located within the medieval city of Kilkenny (KK019–026), off Vicar Street and Troy’s Lane, and is to the north of St Canice’s Cathedral. It is understood that the building complex originated as early as the 14th century, with significant changes during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The former Bishop’s Palace is to become the national headquarters of the Heritage Council. To that end, the conservation of the Palace building was undertaken. Primarily the development included the construction of a new See House for the Bishop and a pavilion-style extension to the former Palace building. Testing was carried out within the Bishop’s Palace enclosure by Teresa Bolger and Ian Doyle in 2002 (Excavations 2002, Nos 1030 and 1031, 02E0593 and ext.) and excavation was carried out at the site of the intended pavilion extension by Ian Doyle in 2006 (06E0189 ext.). Additional excavation was carried out by the writer at a number of discrete locations in late 2006 (Excavations 2006, No. 1067, 06E0189 ext.)
The development required the insertion of various service runs. The results of excavations carried out in 2006 were used to inform the location of the service trenches. In all instances service trenches were located so as to avoid subsurface features.
Monitoring of trenching exposed post-medieval made ground to the north-east, east and south-east of the former Bishop’s Palace to a maximum depth of c. 1.1m. The made ground consisted of mortared limestone and red-brick rubble, probably demolition from the 18th-century kitchen range of buildings, exposed during excavation of the ‘pavilion site’ by Doyle in 2006.
A service trench opened on a roughly north–south alignment to the east of the former Bishop’s Palace exposed the continuation of two walls previously recorded during excavation of the remains of the 19th-century kitchen range. One of these walls was also exposed in Area B, excavated by the writer in late 2006, and is of possible late medieval date. All subsurface structural remains discovered at the site were recorded and protected, and remain in situ.
Refurbishment work within the former Bishop’s Palace was carried out on the floors, walls and ceilings. The removal of 18th-century pine floorboards on the building’s second floor revealed a timber sub-floor structure largely consisting of oak beams and joists. Examination of the timbers indicated that the entire structure was reused. Some of the large structural beams had been turned over and reworked to accommodate the floor joists. The joists had distinctive lap joints and peg holes consistent with prior use in a roof structure. Two of the structural beams (Q10953 and Q10955) and a floor joist (Q10956) were submitted for dendrochronological analysis. Felling dates from the late 15th to the mid-17th century were found. The findings are consistent with the documented extensive refurbishment of the Bishop’s Palace in the 18th century, in particular the addition of the second floor.
Render was removed from the outside of the building in 2006. Medieval and early post-medieval windows including a rectangular ope on the north side of the tower with an intact timber window frame were exposed. Portland cement and failing lime render was removed from some of the interior walls during 2007. This work allowed for the further recording of many of the building’s original medieval features. Where possible early masonry and timber features, including window opes, doors and cupboards, were sensitively conserved and consolidated and remain exposed within the building.
Work was completed in the spring of 2008.