2018:756 - Muff (Eglinton) (19 Main Street, Eglinton), Derry

Monitoring of primary ground reduction works (site clearance and topsoil stripping) was undertaken on 17 December 2018, having been commissioned by BW Homes & Construction Limited, and relates to a Planning Condition under Planning Policy Statement 6: Built Heritage 4 (PPS 6:BH4) for archaeological mitigation associated with the proposed development of the site at an area of land at 19 Main Street (“Moncrief”), Eglinton, Co. Londonderry (Planning Ref: A/2009/0632/F / LA11/2016/0782/F), for the demolition of the existing office buildings and construction of a mixed housing development of 4 houses (2-storey) and 8 apartments with associated parking and landscaping.

The site is located within the historic Plantation village of Eglinton. Accordingly, prior to the Granting of Planning Consent, archaeological evaluation works through test-trenching were undertaken in response to a request for additional information by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency: Historic Monuments Unit (NIEA:HMU) under Planning Policy Statement 6: Built Heritage 3 (PPS 6: BH3) in response to the Planning Application for the re-development of the site.

Pre-development test trenching was undertaken on 5 February 2010 by FarrimondMacManus Ltd under archaeological licence no. AE/10/23. A single archaeological feature, a linear ditch, c.1.6 – 2.4m wide x 0.65m deep and extending for at least 31.5m in length and running parallel to Main Street, was identified during evaluation works at the site and represents the remains of a nineteenth-century field boundary associated with the gardens of the Manor House to the immediate west of the site.

Topsoil stripping works were undertaken within all areas of proposed invasive groundworks associated with the scheme. Primary ground reduction/topsoil stripping works revealed glacial subsoil which was encountered directly below topsoil, modern overburden/construction layers associated with the building which previously occupied the site or layer of compacted stone used for car parking.

These construction layers varied in depth between c.0.15–0.45m and contained frequent but small amounts of late 20th-century construction materials.

No archaeological features, remains or deposits were identified within the boundaries of the proposed development area during monitoring works at the site in addition to the nineteenth-century field boundary identified during the evaluation works undertaken under licence no. AE/10/23.

Christopher J. Farrimond, FarrimondMacManus Ltd (Derry), 150 Elmvale, Culmore, Derry BT48 8SL.