County: Waterford Site name: Dungarvan, Castle Street, Park House
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WA031-040001 Licence number: E004657
Author: Dave Pollock
Site type: Medieval urban, vicinity of castle
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 626240m, N 593080m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.089018, -7.617098
Initially three small test trenches were cut through the concrete yard beside the Park House, Castle Street, Dungarvan, to assess the depth and survival of archaeological material. The site is in the heart of the medieval town, beside the castle, and proposed alterations include a new wall in the yard.
In the middle trench medieval surfaces were identified under garden soils at 0.7m and 0.9m below ground, but closer to the castle likely clay-pit activity had disturbed any medieval levels. Beside the street medieval levels may or may not survive below clay and stonework associated with a likely post-medieval building.
A fourth small trench was dug by hand against the thick north gable wall of the standing building, to throw light on the construction date of the wall, and a building survey was carried out at the same time.
The wall overlies garden soil and the stump of a clay bonded wall at the side of the adjacent Thompsons Lane. The gable is now considered to be exactly contemporary with the taller block facing onto Castle Street, built in the late 18th or early 19th century.
Stradbally
