County: Cork Site name: Cornmarket Street, Cork
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CO074–122 Licence number: 10E0023
Author: Ciara Brett, Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork.
Site type: Urban, medieval/post-medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 567199m, N 572040m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.899547, -8.476625
The Cornmarket Street streetscape renewal scheme (Phase 1) commenced in January 2010 and was intermittently monitored until July 2010. The scheme is located within the zone of archaeological potential for Cork city (CO074–122) and is also immediately east of the suggested line of the medieval city wall (CO074–03402). Cornmarket Street was an open navigable channel until the mid-18th century when the southern end was reclaimed and a cornmarket built. By the 1820s the channel had been completely infilled.
The scheme involved ground disturbance of 0.3–0.7m. The replacement of a sewer required the excavation of a single trench to a depth of 2.5m. The stratigraphy across the site generally consisted of post-medieval dumped material which overlay clay and silt layers. The features revealed were associated with the 18th-century reclamation and included stone-lined drains and sections of masonry. Due to the limited nature of the trench excavations it was difficult to interpret the various sections of wall recorded. Based on cartographic evidence it is assumed that the features noted at the southern end of Cornmarket Street were associated with the early 18th-century cornmarket. The stepped foundations of Nos 41–42 Cornmarket Street were also recorded. The roof of a well-built sandstone culvert was noted running north–south along the centre of the street (previously recorded during the Cork main drainage scheme, Excavations 2001, No. 154, 00E0124 ext.).
A short section of the medieval city wall was also recorded midway along Cornmarket Street at Portney’s Lane. This east-facing section was only partially exposed due to the over-excavation of the trench. It was visible c. 1m below ground level, but its full height was not determined due to the safety constraints of the trench. From limited inspection, the outer face was constructed of regular limestone blocks, similar to other sections of the wall recorded in the city. The foundations of the medieval Queen’s Castle (previously recorded during the Cork main drainage scheme, Excavations 1997, No. 37, 96E157) were partially re-exposed.
