County: Down Site name: Holywood Nursery School, Ballykeel, Holywood
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DOW001:001 Licence number: AE/16/97
Author: Ciara MacManus
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 739969m, N 879169m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.641278, -5.831511
Archaeological investigations were carried out in advance of construction at the site of a proposed new classroom building at Holywood Nursery School, Co. Down in response to a planning condition imposed upon the development in accordance with Planning Policy Guidelines PPS6 BH4. A desktop study showed that the proposed development is both located within an Area of Archaeological Potential as defined by the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 and is situated 20m south-west of DOW001:001 a medieval defensive site.
Monitored excavation at the site proved that up to 1.2m of modern infill material overlying 0.3–0.4m of buried topsoil occurred across the site. As a result only those areas of proposed deep excavation beyond this depth, i.e. building foundation trenches, underwent archaeological investigation to the depth of un-disturbed subsoil.
No archaeological deposits or features were identified during the course of excavation works. It is therefore recommended that the proposed development proceed with no further archaeological requirement.
FarrimondMacManus Ltd, Adelaide House, Hawthorn Business Centre, 1 Falcon Road, Belfast
