2008:1213 - Castle House, 6 Castle Brae, Newtownstewart, Tyrone

Monitoring was undertaken between 28 January and 4 February 2008. All ground breaking was conducted using hand operated power-tools operating under supervision. The current development proposal provides for the excavation of a portion of the pre-existing access ramp and subsequent construction of new external concrete steps to provide access to the first-floor apartment at No. 6 Castle Brae from Castle Brae at the south-east. Monitoring revealed the probable remains of a section of walling associated with the foundations of the bawn wall of the 17th-century Newtownstewart Castle. Due to the considerable ground disturbance associated with the construction of the retaining wall along Castle Brae, no datable artefactual material was recovered and it was not possible to recover any secure environmental samples from deposits likely to be associated with the construction of the wall. Moreover, no samples of the mortar used in the construction of the wall were obtained during archaeological works at the site as on-site consultation with the developer led to the modification of the proposed stairwell plans to include the preservation in situ of the foundations as a feature wall of the new stairwell.
In the absence of datable artefacts or direct stratigraphical evidence for the relationship between the wall and Newtownstewart Castle itself, it has not been possible to definitively state that the remains of the wall identified are part of the foundations of the bawn wall. However, the nature, alignment and location of the masonry, together with the limited stratigraphical information, would suggest that the function of the wall was as part of the foundations of the bawn wall and that it is therefore likely to date to around 1619–1622.