County: Meath Site name: WATERGATE STREET, TRIM
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1843
Author: Carmel Duffy, Umberstown Great, Summerhill, Co. Meath.
Site type: Urban, medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 680133m, N 756821m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.555189, -6.790607
An archaeological assessment of the site was carried out in 2002 (Excavations 2002, No. 1545). No archaeological material was disclosed by the test-trenching. The site was a forge during the 20th century. Deposits of black material associated with this activity came to light; also large amounts of industrial age metal debris had been buried on site. Monitoring of groundworks has been carried out, under various extensions to the licence, in the interim.
The first new building to be erected is located in the north-east corner of the site, along Watergate Street. Three features were observed during the monitor. F1 was located in the north–south cross-wall trench. It was a cone-shaped pit, 1m deep and 1.35m wide at the top. The pit had been cut through by the machine and its remains were visible in the western face of the foundation trench. Hand excavation was carried out of the remainder of the feature. The fill was red/brown silty clay with occasional charcoal pieces and one sherd of medieval pottery. This was a medieval refuse pit.
F2 was located in the north face of the southern foundation trench. The profile of the pit was a gentle U shape. It measured 1.2m deep and was 1.4m wide at the top. The fill was dark-brown silty clay, with inclusions of 20th-century pottery and glass.
F3 was located in the south face of the southern foundation trench. It was a pit 0.9m wide, 1.2m deep. The fill was black industrial material with no artefacts.
The second building is located along Watergate Street in the south-eastern corner of the site. Monitoring of the groundworks for this building revealed no material of an archaeological nature.
No further work has been carried out on the site to date.
