2010:661 - Scotch Quay/George’s Quay and Waterside, Waterford, Waterford

Phases 2 and 3 of the Waterford city flood alleviation scheme comprised the construction of masonry-faced reinforced concrete flood walls along the southern bank of John’s River at Waterside and Scotch Quay/George’s Quay and along the northern bank of John’s river at Waterside. Phase 1 of the scheme was reported upon in Excavations 2009 (No. 820). At Waterside the foundation trench for the new flood defences was on average 0.9m in depth and did not impinge on any archaeological levels. A storm-water pumping station was also constructed at Waterside, which required an area 4m x 4m x 2.5m deep to be mechanically excavated. At the basal formation level for the chamber, 2.5m below current ground level, a light-grey sand that may have been a glacial substratum was noted. A layer of dark organic material, 1.4–1.6m deep, which contained pieces of timber, wine bottles and oyster shells overlay it. A large sherd of North Devon sgraffito ware and a sherd of manganese mottled ware were also recovered from this deposit, dating it to the 17th–18th centuries and therefore probably a result of the infilling and reclamation of this area at that time. A layer of gritty clayey gravel and rubble, 1.2–1.3m deep, overlay and was sealed beneath it. A layer of modern hardcore and tarmac, the current road surface, sealed the stratigraphic sequence. At George’s Quay/Scotch Quay the foundation level was 1m deep and again was largely above any archaeological levels that may have existed. Mooring chains and rings, patches of cobbling and timber mooring posts were noted during the monitoring.