2009:232 - CORPORATION TOWNLAND, BANGOR, Down

The archaeological evaluation relates to the proposed development of a leisure centre complex which will occupy part of the Valentine Playing Fields at Castle Park Road in Bangor, incorporating an area c. 280m north to south by 215m.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area in and around Bangor has been inhabited since early historic times, with four known archaeological sites within a 1km radius of the development: the historic settlement of Bangor (DOW002–039), the old Customs House of 1637 (DOW002–003), Cross Hill (DOW002–027) and Bangor Abbey (DOW002–002), a monastery founded in the 6th century AD and one of the best-documented monasteries in Ireland after Armagh.
This site was evaluated using a series of test-trenches prior to the archaeological investigations. There were seven area of investigation, of which four proved to be archaeological. There were a total of 22 archaeological features present and these ranged in date from the Bronze Age to the medieval period.
One pair of features contained material characteristic of+fulachta fiadh or burnt mounds. The material consisted of charcoal-rich silty clay and fragmented reddened burnt stone. There were other features of probable prehistoric date in the vicinity.
At the north end of the development a number of shallow pits were revealed. Five sherds of early medieval pottery of possible 6th-to 9th-century date were recovered from these deposits. The date for this pottery may coincide with the settlement of Bangor, which is reputed to have started with the foundation of a large monastery in 558 AD by St Comgall (HMSO 1966).
In the south-east corner of the proposed development a number of features of later medieval date were investigated. These included agricultural furrows, a curving ditch and the remains of a possible kiln or small furnace. There were 84 sherds of medieval pottery, dating from the 12th to 15th century approximately, retrieved from the curving ditch. There was also a small rounded pounding/grinding stone and crucible recovered from the possible kiln or furnace nearby. The curved ditch seems to have functioned, at least in its final phase,+as a depository for waste pottery, etc.
The date range for this activity may coincide with the time of the building of St Malachy’s monastery, originally built in 1123–4 and rebuilt after it burnt down in 1127. The only extant remains of this monastery today are the partial remains of the 13thcentury north wall situated to the north-west of the development site.
There was extensive disturbance evident across the entire development site. This was partly due to quarrying during the 19th century and more recently to the landfill facility that existed here prior to 1964. The archaeological deposits were discovered in areas where least disturbance had occurred.
Reference HMSO. 1966 Archaeological Survey of County Down.
Belfast.