County: Antrim Site name: 8–10 Main Street, Kells
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/07/253
Author: Deirdre Malone, for Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast, BT12 5BJ.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714127m, N 896991m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.807835, -6.224657
The proposed development involves the demolition of the existing building at No. 8 Main Street, Kells, to be replaced with one retail unit and four apartments, with seven accompanying carpark spaces. Located within an archaeologically sensitive landscape there are seventeen archaeological sites within a 1.5km radius, the closest of which is a bullaun stone (ANT038–037). Five of the nearby sites are located within Connor, a well-known religious centre that originally began as a pre-Norman monastery founded in the 6th century. Later, in the 12th century, it became the centre for the Diocese of Dal Riata (Connor), which was united with the Diocese of Down in 1453.
Pre-development testing was undertaken on 9 January 2008. The testing consisted of four machine-dug trenches and one test-pit excavated within the confines of the site. Nothing of archaeological interest was revealed.
