County: Down Site name: ST PATRICK’S SQUARE, DOWNPATRICK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/10/73
Author: Kara Ward, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 6, Channel Wharf, 21 Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE.
Site type: Possible post-medieval land reclamation
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 748383m, N 844565m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.328201, -5.718639
The proposed development concerns a ‘public realm’ scheme located in the centre of Downpatrick, Co. Down. It will consist of new paving, seating areas, planting, bollards, bins and lighting and the narrowing of the existing road with a new access arrangement. The scheme will also involve the realignment of steps adjacent to St Patrick’s Centre which link English Street and Market Street.
Groundworks relating to street lighting, tree planting and step realignment at the square have been monitored intermittently since August 2010. The square was excavated in stages, with the earliest deposits recorded consisting of tidal silt formations which were sealed by a layer of modern overburden.
Possible evidence of land reclamation was noted, with two lengths of wood uncovered in one of the sections examined. Although not hugely substantial, these may represent attempts to reclaim and utilise the land and could date to the post-medieval period.
Monitoring of the remaining groundworks was postponed until 2011.
