County: Down Site name: Ballyphilip
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DOW032–003 Licence number: AE/10/133
Author: Norman Crothers, 13 Christine Gardens, Newtownabbey, Belfast, BT36 6TE.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 759467m, N 850750m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.380389, -5.545088
Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has recently completed an extensive programme to upgrade the existing sewerage system and construct new wastewater treatment works. As part of a project to upgrade the wastewater, mains and sewerage system in County Down, NIW constructed a new sewerage treatment works at Deerpark Road some 1km north of Portaferry. The work was monitored under licence (AE/08/32). The excavation of the associated wastewater pipeline was monitored under licence (Excavations 2008, No. 356, AE/08/97). The final phase of the project was the construction of a control kiosk in the vicinity of Portaferry.
The area of the proposed control kiosk is a small plot of land situated some 40m south of Portaferry Castle on the east side of a recently built lifeboat station. It consisted of a raised landscaped area partially enclosed by a modern concrete block wall on its west side and by two 19th-century walls on the east and south. The surface of the landscaped area had a covering of pink stones and there was a tree placed centrally within the area.
On-site monitoring took place between 4 and 8 November 2010. The landscaped surface was removed to reveal infill consisting of a layer of topsoil up to 1m thick at the south wall overlying a very mixed layer of stones, mortar, roof slates and some water-rolled stones that were probably the remains of a removed cobble surface. The base level for the plinth of the control kiosk did not require the removal of all of the infill material and would not expose the undisturbed subsoil or impact on any surviving archaeological remains. However, it was necessary to connect the kiosk to existing services situated beyond the south wall and a deeper hole was excavated in the south-west corner of the area. The programme of works included the intention to cut through the south wall to allow access for the connection to the existing services. When the excavation was carried out, however, it was obvious that the wall had been constructed on the old ground surface without any foundation cut. Consequently it was possible to dig below the wall without any damage to it. No archaeological features or finds were recorded within the small area excavated for the proposed control kiosk.
