2008:1318 - Sea Road, Kilcoole, Wicklow

Archaeological works were undertaken on behalf of Kingscroft Development in advance of the construction of a residential development on Sea Road, Kilcoole. The site was excavated during February and September 2008 and was divided into three excavation areas, which were discovered during ongoing monitoring of topsoil-stripping. These works were carried out under an extension to licence 06E0670. The original excavation in 2006 was carried out by Rob Lynch within Phase 1 of the proposed development area (Excavations 2006, No. 2185).
The archaeological activity in Area A consisted of two shallow circular pits. The fills of both pits consisted of dark-brown sandy silt which contained no datable material and appeared to be non-archaeological. An isolated keyhole-shaped kiln was exposed to the north of the pits and was 2.5m long, 1.4m wide and 0.47m deep. It was filled with several layers of silts and sands and contained a significant quantity of charcoal and oxidised clay.
Area B consisted of a number of shallow post-holes and a large isolated pit that were exposed to the south-east of the activity in Area C, and these possibly represented the remains of a second structure on the site. The arrangement of post-holes extended beyond the limit of excavation and the shallow depth of the post-holes and the absence of any internal features suggested that this area was disturbed, probably due to continuous intensive agricultural activity. The pit was located 4.3m to the south-east of the post-holes and was 2.02m long, 1.45m wide and 0.32m deep. The single fill consisted of mid-brown silty clay with no obvious inclusions. No datable finds were retrieved from any these features.
Area C was located to the north-west of Areas A and B and an excavation area measuring 31m north–south by 27m was opened up. The earliest phase of activity consisted of a large irregular-shaped pit in the south-west corner of the site. It was 4.3m long, 2.3m wide and 0.5m deep and was lined with a thick layer of charcoal-rich sandy silt which contained over 500 sherds of Neolithic pottery. The pottery has been initially identified as early Neolithic and several vessels appeared to be represented in the assemblage. A significant quantity of worked flint was also recovered from this fill including a small blade and a scraper. A single post-hole was located 1.3m south-east of the pit. It is probable that this post-hole was broadly contemporary with the pit and was possibly associated with other features located outside the limit of excavation. Several other pits and pairs of post-holes, which may represent the remains of a ‘four-poster’ structure, were located to the north and north-west of the pit, but it was not possible to establish, without further post-excavation analysis, if they were associated with the Neolithic activity or the Bronze Age activity to the north-east.
Phase 2 consisted of an irregular-shaped pit located within the central structure and truncated by one of the central post-holes, suggesting that this feature may be associated with a slightly earlier phase of activity on the site. The pit was 2.13m long, 1.2m wide and 0.34m deep. It was not possible to establish whether it was associated with any other features within the structure without further post-excavation analysis.
In Phase 3 the house structure in the centre of the site was defined by a circular arrangement of post-holes, some 6m in diameter, with a possible entrance facing to the south-east represented by two door post-holes which may have doubled as post-holes for roof supports. The post-holes would have held timber uprights, which, in conjunction with the two internal posts, are likely to have supported a thatched roof. A number of the post-holes had evidence of clay and stone packing, making it possible to determine the post-pipe diameter within the post-holes, which were on average 0.2m wide. Unfortunately the post-holes in the north-west quadrant of the house appeared to have been truncated by a large irregular-shaped pit.
A total of 38 stake-holes were located within the structure, most of which were situated around an area of in situ burning to the west of the one of the central post-holes and may have represented the remains of a series of spits over the fire. A smaller concentration was located 1.5m to the north-east and may have represented an internal division within the structure. The west and north-west areas of the structure were sealed by a substantial deposit of silty sand with frequent charcoal flecking. It was 1.2m long, 1.4m wide and had a thickness of 0.1m and sealed the hearth and the majority of associated stake-holes.
Artefacts from the interior of the house included a stone spindle whorl, a small quantity of flint and several sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery. Bronze Age pottery was also recovered from a linear feature located 4m to the north-east. This feature was truncated by a large circular pit which contained no datable material. Several sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery were also recovered from the base of one of three post-holes located close to the eastern limit of the excavation. This post-hole was truncated by a hearth, which was 1.5m long and 1m wide. These features may have represented the remains of a second house or a ‘four-poster’ structure, the majority of which extended beyond the limit of excavation. It is anticipated that post-excavation analysis will shed further light on the date and nature of these features.
External features included a number of large irregular-shaped pits to the north-east, which were filled with heat-shattered stone and probably represent evidence of pot-boiler cooking on the site. One of the pits contained several large sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery, which indicated that this feature was broadly contemporary with the hearth and associated stake-holes within the structure.
Later features in Phase 4 included a large circular pit in the north-east corner of the site, which truncated a pit that contained several sherds of Late Bronze Age pottery. The pit was 2.54m long, 1.9m wide and 0.56m deep and contained no datable material. An irregular-shaped feature, which may be the result of tree-root activity, was located to the north-west of the structure and appeared to have truncated a number of the structure’s post-holes. A curvilinear feature with a terminus at both ends was situated in the north-east corner of the site. It was 3.4m long, 1.2m wide and 0.65m deep. The fill consisted of dark-brown sandy silt and a single iron object was retrieved from this fill. The majority of the features on the site were also truncated by two narrow north–south-orientated drains that extended across the entire length of the site.