County: Waterford Site name: 32–33 Stephen Street, Waterford
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E1074
Author: Maurice F. Hurley, 6 Clarence Court, St Luke’s Cork.
Site type: Urban; no archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 660482m, N 612289m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.258988, -7.114047
A pre-planning assessment of a site on the western side of Stephen Street, including testing, was carried out in November 2007. The site was occupied by a single-storey garage and backyard cut into the rising ground to the west (rear). The site lies within the historic walled area of Waterford city, an area of archaeological potential, WA009–005.
The ground west of Michael Street slopes sharply from west to east; i.e. Patrick Street is a steep hill rising from the relatively level ground at Michael Street to the summit of the hill just east of Ballybricken Green/Mayor’s Walk. The length of city wall from Patrick Street to Newgate Street was constructed to take advantage of this high ground and thus control the summit. While Patrick Street and New Street/Newgate Street lead uphill from the city centre, Stephen Street forms a ‘step’ or terrace on the hill slope. Bachelor’s Walk bisects the area, itself also leading uphill from Stephen Street. The blocks between the streets are also terraced.
Three test-trenches were excavated and none of them contained evidence for archaeological features or strata. The modern surfaces of the building and backyard overlay bedrock. It is likely that the properties on the western side of Stephen Street have been cut into the hill face to provide a flat site corresponding to the level of the street frontage.
