County: Kilkenny Site name: 20-22 Vicar Street, Kilkenny
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KK019-026122 Licence number: AO62; E4437
Author: Colm Flynn
Site type: Buildings, pits and walls
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 650372m, N 656400m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.656447, -7.255471
Archaeological excavations (test trenching, monitoring, excavation, and post-excavation analysis) were carried out in advance of the construction of the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme at 20-22 Vicar Street, Kilkenny between 2014 and 2018. These works resulted in the identification of several medieval and post-medieval features, and the recovery of 100's of post-medieval artefacts, and a smaller number of medieval artefacts. The features consisted of stone walls, pits, and refuse deposits. The artefacts mostly comprised pottery fragments, clay pipe fragments and some dressed architectural stones. Some of the stones had originated in medieval buildings, and had been incorporated into the buildings at Nos 21-22 Vicar Street. The excavations took place within and around the location of the existing buildings at 20-22 Vicar Street, Kilkenny. The building at No. 20 Vicar Street was preserved in situ.
The excavations identified the buildings at Nos 21-22 Vicar St dated to the early 18th century. Historical sources indicate that a building that was part of the income of an office holder from St. Canice's Cathedral (Prebendary of Tascoffin) was situated here in the medieval period. Historical sources also indicate that this area was heavily damaged during the Cromwellian assault on Kilkenny in 1650. Buildings are depicted on Rocque's Map of Kilkenny (1758) in the location of the buildings at Nos 21-22 Vicar Street.
Following the excavation, the buildings at Nos 21-22 Vicar Street were deconstructed, apart from the southern gable wall of No. 22 Vicar St which had been identified as originally being the north gable wall of a building that had stood immediately south of No. 22 Vicar Street (possibly a building that was destroyed during Cromwell's siege in 1650). This was evidenced by the presence of a window that faced outwards to the north up Vicar Street, and was completely obscured by the construction of No. 22 Vicar Street. The southern gable wall was preserved in situ.
The completion of the excavation allowed for the construction of the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme, and a new bridge over the River Nore.
Kilmainham, Mountmellick, Co. Laois
