2008:712 - St Francis Abbey Brewery, Gardens, Kilkenny, Kilkenny

An assessment was carried out on 7 and 8 January 2008 at the north-eastern end of Kilkenny city. The test excavation was concentrated in an area known as the Orchard Yard, in the north-eastern corner of St Francis’ Abbey Brewery lands. The brewery is currently owned by Diageo Ireland Ltd. Development proposals include the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and an associated service road within the north-eastern corner of the yard. As part of the manufacturing process, St Francis’ Abbey Brewery has discharged effluent for treatment in the municipal wastewater treatment plant at Purcellsinch since 1979; it was proposed that a partial treatment of effluent on-site, with anaerobic digestion, would aid the workings of the brewery.
This preferred option for the treatment of process effluent comprises the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, a machine building, bunded areas for the wastewater treatment tanks and storage of conditioning chemicals. A biogas recovery system, services, and a pipe rack to carry treated wastewater between the existing brewery plant and the wastewater treatment plant is also proposed. It also includes the creation of surface water drainage, an internal roadway to provide vehicular access to the wastewater treatment plant from within the brewery, and general landscaping.
The results of the test-excavation were incorporated into the Archaeological and Cultural Heritage component of the environmental impact statement (EIS) pertaining to the proposed development, which was submitted with a planning application to Kilkenny Borough Council. The full testing report was included as an appendix in the EIS (Crowley 2008).
The site is located within the zone of archaeological potential for Kilkenny city (KK019–026). The ruins of St Francis’ Abbey (a medieval foundation, National Monument No. 72) are extant within the property boundaries of St Francis’ Abbey Brewery, to the south-east of the proposed development site. The River Breagagh is bounded to the north and south by masonry walls, including part of the enclosing wall of the medieval Hightown. Evan’s Turret, a tower which jutted from the medieval city walls, is located to the south-east of the development site at the confluence of the Rivers Nore and Breagagh. The eastern boundary wall of the site originally formed the western side of a millrace which powered a complex of mills in the vicinity.
Four east–west and two north–south-orientated trenches were excavated across the footprint of the proposed development. Remnants of two north–south-orientated stone walls were noted during testing. The walls appeared to have been fairly disturbed by post-medieval and modern activity on the site, which took place in the form of millrace reclamation and drainage works. The first wall was noted in Trench 1, at a depth of 0.6m below the present ground surface (c. 43.1m OD). It is situated in the same location as the original eastern boundary wall visible on Rocque’s 1758 map and was probably a renovated version of the original boundary wall. The second feature was located in Trench 4, at a depth of 1.7m below the present ground level (c. 42.55m OD). This was probably the remains of a north–south dividing wall which was constructed within an east–west-orientated burgage plot. The plot probably belonged to a house fronting onto Vicar Street, depicted on Rocque’s Map of 1758.
Reference
Crowley, C. 2008 Environmental Impact Assessment, St Francis’ Brewery, Kilkenny. Unpublished report, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.