2017:454 - NEWTOWNARDS: 62-64 South Street, Down
County: Down
Site name: NEWTOWNARDS: 62-64 South Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: Newtownards AAP; DOW 006:019
Licence number: AE/17/175
Author: Chris Long, Gahan & Long
Author/Organisation Address: 7-9 Castlereagh Street, Belfast BT5 4NE
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 748863m, N 873728m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.589887, -5.696600
An archaeological evaluation was carried out prior to the redevelopment of lands at 62-64 South Street, Newtownards. The area of Castlebawn (DOW 06:19) forms the eastern boundary of the site. This is recorded as a 17th-century plantation house and bawn, including a post-medieval fortification. Both Castlebawn and the section of the Newtownards Canal extending adjacent to it and beyond to South Street are scheduled monuments.
The evaluation consisted of the monitoring of a drainage ditch. The trench was excavated using a back-acting machine fitted with a toothless bucket. Following the break-up of the tarmac surface, the trench was excavated into a layer of modern fill material. This consisted of a black loose stoney, gritty clay with frequent inclusions of modern building material. At no point was naturally occurring subsoil identified.
No archaeological deposits were identified within the trench.