County: Dublin Site name: Old Schoolhouse, Swords
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DU011-034--- Licence number: 15E0465
Author: Steven McGlade
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 718024m, N 746672m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.456875, -6.222820
A programme of archaeological test-trenching of a proposed new carpark was carried out to the north-west of the Old Schoolhouse Restaurant and Inn, Swords in November 2015. This proposed carpark forms part of a larger scheme for a new brewery building to the east of the existing building. The part of the proposed development to the south-east was not tested at this time as it is still in use as an outdoor space for the bar.
The site is located within the constraint zone for the historic town of Swords (DU011-034--), however no specific Recorded Monuments are located within or in the immediate vicinity of the site. It was previously occupied by a row of houses depicted from the First to the Third Edition OS maps, locally known as ‘The Banks’. The buildings appear to have been demolished during the 20th century and the site has been left unoccupied since. In the past twenty years developments along the river, and the laneways between the river and Main Street to the east, have used the vacant site for storing spoil, according to local sources.
The testing programme was carried out to comply with a Request for Further Information and noted that ‘the northern section of the site where a new car park is proposed has a mound/embankment which may be of archaeological significance’.
The earliest activity identified during the programme was the foundation cut for buildings previously located on the site and depicted on the First Edition OS map. No upstanding remains of these buildings were identified. No earlier material was noted.
A mixed demolition layer was identified throughout the side relating to the demolition of the houses in the 20th century. Overlying this a substantial build-up layer of c. 1.5m was noted across the site, with a mound of c. 1m in height to the south. This material was imported onto the site in the last 20 years when the empty plot was used for spoil storage during various construction works along the laneway. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during the testing programme.
Aileach Archaeology, on behalf of Archaeology Plan, 32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
