2012:357 - 75–76 John Street Lower, Kilkenny, Kilkenny

An archaeological impact assessment and monitoring of geological trial pits was undertaken in May, June and October 2012, on behalf of Kilkenny Council and Borough Councils, for a proposed City and County Library development. Assessment comprised a conservation architectural survey (by R. Goodbody) and test trenching in available areas not occupied by standing buildings. This work constituted Phase 1 (pre-demolition) of a two-phase assessment programme. The proposed area of investigations was located to the rear of three-storey buildings fronting John Street, and also partially encroaching into public car-parking bays within College Park.
The site lay within the urban area of archaeological potential for Kilkenny (KK019-0026, medieval suburb of St Johns), along the supposed line of the town wall defences, as depicted in 1758 on J. Rocque’s map of Kilkenny, and adjacent to No. 73–5, John Street Lower, the site of the 16th/17th-century Seix House and site of the former Kilkenny College building (KK019-00260069).
Seven test trenches and three trial pits were mechanically excavated throughout the development footprint area to the rear of 75–76 John Street Lower in Gardens townland and within the County Council car park in Collegepark townland.
Trenches II, III and pit VII were located either side of a c. 7m-high masonry wall, located on the ‘supposed line’ of (lost) town wall for the medieval suburb of St John’s (KK019-026-001). The upstanding limestone wall measured 0.45-0.57m in thickness, revealed it had patches of (modern) brick, was raised by 2.24m using concrete block and stone repair but was otherwise of uniform limestone-mortared rubble build. Its foundations were slightly splayed and rested on a 1m-wide mortared stone plinth, sealing an archaeologically sterile fluvial clay deposit. Testing revealed no evidence for defensive architectural features or any trace of a large outer fosse, as is usually associated with a defensive town wall. In addition, a small square early 19th-century mill building and millrace were revealed abutting the masonry wall. The mill building walls were limestone mortared rubble with brick-lined opes, built against (and incorporating) the south-eastern face of the masonry wall, and straddled an in-filled millrace which extends south-west to the River Nore, and is depicted on both J. Rocque 1758 and the 1st edition 1841-2 OS maps.
Two trenches and a soak pit were excavated within the County Council car park, to the south of the present County Council offices, extending south-east from the development site and line of the town wall. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed below the c. 0.5m-thick modern car park foundations; the trenches and pit revealed a natural soil profile and an extensive depth of sterile fluvial flood deposits.
Three trenches (Trench IV-VI) were excavated to the rear of the building fronting John Street Lower, in plots 75 and 76. These trenches revealed extensive garden deposits and fragmentary limestone or brick boundaries walls, annex walls to garden structures, a brick-cellar, hearths/fireplaces, all of either post-medieval or early modern date. These sealed lower levels of sterile flood deposits across most of the site, with some limited evidence of medieval occupation deposit surviving adjacent to the archway between 75 and 76 John Street Lower. Excavation was discontinued at the rear of the yard to No. 76 due to the presence of a thick concrete slab floor below the tarmac.

Valerie J Keeley Ltd., Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny