2011:623 - ENNISCORTHY CASTLE, CASTLE HILL, ENNISCORTHY, Wexford

Restoration works on Enniscorthy Castle took place between 11 August and 3 November 2010. The works comprised Phase 1 of repair and restoration of the upstanding structure (inclusive of limited internal and external ground impacts for services) to make the building accessible and to reopen it as a museum. The building consists of a 16th-century castle, with replacement of architectural features (windows, coal chute, chimneys, fireplaces, internal partition walls, etc.) dating from the start of the 20th century and the 1960s. A 1903 three-storey extension was also built on the north wall of the castle.

The external works consisted of excavation for connection of services—sewerage, foul water and electricity to be connected into the structure via the early 20th-century extension and to run parallel to the western side of the 16th-century building (c. 3–4m from the building) and connect to services (through the gate) on Castle Hill. The depths of the services were between 0.6m and 1.1m. Excavation took place for construction of an aqua-drain abutting the western side of the 16th-century castle to extract and prevent further water ingress into the fabric of the castle. The aqua-drain was at a depth of 0.6m. A wheelchair access was also constructed in the 1903 extension.

The internal groundworks consisted of excavation for under-floor ducting (150mm duct) of service to operate a lift from the ground floor to the roof within the 1903 extension, and excavation for reconnecting toilets (1903 structure) and for allowing wheelchair access, including panels and reconnection to existing pipe.

Ground-floor internal vertical surface works were as follows: to remove modern plaster from walls in the 16th-century castle and expose the underlying fabric to enhance the overall environment of the castle’s interior; to reglaze windows throughout, including the repair or replacement of window frames in a manner in keeping with the original; to clean up fireplaces throughout, and to clean or repair chimneys as necessary, including repointing; to introduce floor and ceiling anchors for hanging display panels; to widen the existing internal doorway at the north-west corner of the castle, where the 1903 structure had previously altered the castle, and to introduce an internal lobby entrance to Room 1 (16th-century castle), and to clean and repoint stone flags.

First-floor internal works were as follows: to widen the doors of Room 14 to a minimum of 1,000mm; to repair and repoint all chimneys as necessary, and to clean fireplaces; to sand down timber floors throughout; to clean and repoint stone flags; to investigate and treat damp walls, ceilings and floors throughout; to clean and repoint stonework and repair as necessary; to repair and repaint windows as necessary; to install lightweight panels and to replace windows on the southern façade of the castle (16th-century portion).

Second-floor internal works were as follows: to widen the existing opening between rooms to a minimum of 1,000mm; to repair and repoint the chimney as necessary and to clean the fireplace; to clean and sand down timber flooring throughout; to investigate and treat damp walls, ceilings and floors; to clean and repoint stonework and repair as necessary; and to replace windows on the southern façade of the castle.

Roof works involved replacing any flashings missing from crenellations as necessary with lead, fixed tight to the capping with bitumen adhesive; repairing the bitumen finish to the roof; repairing the existing roof access door; building in lightweight viewing platforms with guarding, ramps and lighting; and repairing the chimney as necessary.

In the course of external groundworks (excavation for connection of services—sewerage, foul water and electricity), a 1.3m-deep and 0.8m-wide trench was excavated parallel to and 3m from the western side of the 16th-century castle. The trench exposed a 7m-long wall set in the east-facing side of the trench. Cleaning and recording of it found that it was interspersed with bedrock outcrops and terminated by the same. It was composed of mortar-bonded shale, with five (possibly six) rectangular holes in the upper part of the wall (which extended westwards away from the trench) that were designed as flues, of which two were never opened and the remainder, except for one, were deliberately blocked. Glass slag taken from the functioning flue identified the structure as a glass kiln. This, with other materials, indicated a provisional date of the 1700s. The fact that the kiln was blocked up with one flue remaining open suggests that there was insufficient draw of hot air into the kiln proper. Its siting so close to the castle may have

siting of the kiln may have used a pre-existing structure, possibly that of a western defensive fosse of the castle. Samples were recovered and the structure remains in situ, as the services did not disturb it.

Internal groundworks (excavation for installation of the lift) in the north-eastern corner of the 1903 castle extension consisted of a 2m by 2m area. Building debris was found directly beneath the 1903 floor tiles. This consisted of relatively loose collapse of the north wall of the castle, from where the 20th-century extension was built onto the 16th-century castle, and is composed of (grey) lime mortar, shale stone and some red brick, and was mixed with 20th-century materials. This was set directly over the foundation course of an external wall (probably associated with 17th- to 18th-century gardens recorded as once existing here). The wall ran in a south-west to north-east direction and consisted of four large angular shale blocks forming the north-eastern façade and one large block forming the south-western façade. They were bonded together with a lime mortar. Discussion with the County Architect resulted in their preservation in situ and an adjacent 2m by 2m area was opened as a new lift pad location.

It was necessary to excavate to a minimum depth of 0.7m to retain the lift pad. The northern and eastern sides of the new location were formed by the foundation wall of the 1903 extension. Beneath the floor tiles and 20th-century and 16th-century building debris mixture a 20mm laid yard/external surface, principally of lime mortar, was revealed. Beneath this was a 20mm organic-rich clay spread with a very high content of possible 11th–12th-century pottery and animal bone (as domestic refuse, possibly associated with the earlier castle, but only a strong indicator of on-site pre-16th-century castle habitation), and then a metalled external surface yard composed of small stone cobbles at the base of the 1903 wall foundations. Some late 19th–early 20th-century pottery was recovered from this layer. It thus appears that the foundation wall to the 1903 extension was constructed (on a north-east-facing incline) and was infilled to create a level surface upon which to construct the exterior and interior of the 1903 extension. The infill was probably imported from the immediate vicinity of the site, which would have resulted in the unique stratigraphy of 11th- to 12th-century materials overlying the late 19th- to early 20th-century materials.

Dunburbeg, Clonmel Road, Co. Tipperary