County: Down Site name: Lands opposite nos. 20-24 Watson's Road, Newry
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/18/39
Author: Peter McAuley/Gahan & Long Ltd
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 707648m, N 825193m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.164422, -6.351545
An archaeological evaluation was conducted ahead of the construction of a proposed development of 22 dwellings on lands opposite to nos. 20-24 Watson’s Road, Newry, Co. Down.
The evaluation consisted of the excavation of a series of 10 test trenches by mechanical digger fitted with a toothless bucket. The depths of the trenches 1-8 varied as they extended downslope. The upper levels had a maximum depth of 0.4m while the lower end achieved a depth of 0.9m. In all cases a single layer of topsoil was removed from the trenches. This directly overlay naturally occurring subsoil which consisted of an orange sandy clay with frequent stone inclusions including large boulders. Trenches 9 and 10 were located within areas which have been subject to previous disturbance and both included evidence of modern fill material.
No archaeological deposits were identified during the course of the evaluation.
The original site inspection noted the presence of a possible rath immediately to the west of the red line boundary. A further inspection of this feature was conducted and it was apparent that this was not an antiquity but was modern, partial back-filling of a depression within the local topography.
7-9 Castlereagh Street, Belfast BT5 54NE
