2013:491 - Conduit Lane, Waterford, Waterford

Test trenching early in 2013, in the shell of the former Belfry Hotel, Conduit Lane, Waterford, confirmed the location of a late city wall close to the River Suir, at the north end of the site, but failed to locate the 13^th-century predecessor, at the edge of the floodplain. (Pollock 2013)

Further investigations in July/August 2013 confirmed the suspected alignment of the late city wall and recorded the north cloister walk of the medieval friary, close to the 13^th-century city wall. The unusual arrangement of the 13^th-century defences around the friary suggests that the large round corner tower and the north range of the friary are additional, extending the walled city beyond the intended corner.  The north range of the friary appears to be attached to the outside of the original 13^th-century wall.

The cloister walk was resurfaced with clay and mortar a number of times, and used for burial from construction onwards, but probably infrequently before the 16^th century. Burials included young children.

On the Suir floodplain, between the friary and the late city wall, a number of walls were exposed and recorded in 2013. At least one is a likely medieval city wall, and another may have defined the east side of the late medieval friary. On the west side of the site a masonry corner with battered base is either the foot of a late medieval riverside building, or the corner of a late medieval quay in the shadow of the friary north range.

The cellars of the friary north range, and a passage to the riverside at the end of the range remain choked with rubble and unexplored under the new development. Earlier remains, likely to include a Viking riverside suburb, waterlogged below a platform of upcast clay, are well below formation level for the present development and were not investigated.

Knockrower Road, Stradbally, Co. Waterford.