2012:475 - Slane Castle Demesne, Slane, Meath

An assessment of the proposed development of the stable yards and farmyards at Slane Castle Demesne into a whiskey distillery was prepared. The assessment was based upon the examination of engineering test trenches (44 in number, c. 3-5m long) excavated throughout the development footprint and upon a historical, archaeological, topographic and cartographic analysis of the receiving environment.
No pre-1700 archaeological features were uncovered. The results of the assessment conclude that the development involves retaining the upstanding 18th-century stable structures which are located c. 200m from the castle. The construction impact will be largely confined to development work where the excavation for foundations and services may impact upon buried 18th- and 19th-century deposits, such as cobbles, paths and garden features.
Slane Castle was extensively rebuilt in the 18th century and replaced and partially incorporated the walls of an earlier late medieval fortified house. The historical sources and prominent site occupied by the castle on a ridge overlooking the river strongly suggest that the current castle site occupies a strategic location that was defended by a castle from at least the 16th century. No medieval archaeological structures or finds were identified in any of the test trenches. This finding, coupled with the extensive number of trenches excavated throughout the stable buildings and walled garden strongly suggests that medieval occupation did not extend into the stable block areas. It would appear that the castle site is the most likely candidate for such settlement and is located outside the area of the proposed development.
The test trenches were excavated adjacent to many 18th- and 19th-century masonry walls at the stable blocks. The buildings around the stable yards and farmyards are largely 18th century in date and survive as an important range of farm and estate buildings associated with the Demesne and Castle. Whilst in the main the buildings can be considered from an architectural perspective, it is important to note that buried sub-surface 18th-century deposits and structures such as cobbling and wall foundations exist throughout the range of buildings where the distillery and Visitor’s Centre are proposed.
The former ornamental walled garden at Slane Castle is illustrated on the 1st edition OS map dating from 1836. It is subsequently illustrated on the revised edition OS map of 1882. The earlier map of 1836 illustrates a tree enclosed by a single concentric oval path. The path appears to be lined on its inner side by trees or shrubs and is centred on a central tree. The oval path is located in the eastern corner of the walled garden on the map.
Surviving elements from this garden feature appear to have been uncovered in Test Pit 30A. The stone feature revealed in the test pit was the remains of an oval path illustrated on the historic map. The tree indicated on the map may be the same Giant Redwood or Wellingtonia tree (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) which still survives in the garden; such a specimen tree would be appropriate to the garden layout illustrated on the 1837 map.
Stone walls (numbered 1 and 2), part of a red brick floor and a cobble surface were located in the northern half of Test Pit 30B. These features were located just below the existing ground level. The walls are likely to be part of a rectangular building/greenhouse which is illustrated on the 1st edition map of 1836. The greenhouse remained as a structure in the walled garden up to the 1960s and is illustrated on the revised OS maps of 1882 and 1958. The 1882 map illustrates a series of angular paths throughout the walled garden, which replaced the earlier oval garden features by 1882.

Edmond O’Donovan and Associates, 77 Fairyhill, Bray, Co. Wicklow