County: Antrim Site name: Cranmore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ANT064-093 Licence number: AE/12/89
Author: Cia McConway and David Kilner
Site type: URBAN
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 0m, N 0m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.569874, -5.951103
Monitoring was carried out intermittently between July 2012 and January 2013 in relation to a new dwelling at the Cranmore Playing Fields on the Malone Road in Belfast, County Antrim. Adjacent to the development site is Cranmore House (ANT064-093) which is believed to date to the 17th century and, as such, is the oldest extant house in Belfast.
Previous evaluation works carried out by ADS Ltd in 2009 (licence AE/09/112), identified a linear feature that was interpreted as a possible wall footing. This feature was orientated approximately north-west to south-east, running into the area of the proposed development. As such, a section of the wall footing would be impacted upon by groundworks associated with the construction of the new dwelling.
The section of wall footing disturbed by the new dwelling was exposed and recorded. As well as the wall footing, a ditch was also uncovered. It is believed that these features both date to the 19th century and are most likely garden-related. Some disturbance was caused to these features by the groundworks, however, the north-west extent of the wall footing and the remainder of the ditch, presuming it continues, remain in situ.
Groundworks also revealed that the area has been disturbed by services and drainage while the construction of a former dwelling here had caused a great deal of disturbance. Nothing of archaeological significance was uncovered within the remainder of the development.
Archaeological Development Services Ltd, 96 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HE.
