2018:728 - Saint Patrick's Hospital, John's Hill, Waterford, Waterford

Archaeological monitoring was conducted in Areas 7–10 at St. Patrick’s Hospital, John’s Hill, Waterford City. The site is a large complex containing a number of different structures originally developed as the Waterford Union Workhouse in 1839–1841, and some of the buildings date to this time.

In April 2015 a desk-based impact assessment of the site was undertaken by Archaeological Consultancy Service Unit (ACSU) and monitoring of ground works was subsequently undertaken by Magnus Archaeology in June 2015, confirming the presence of Workhouse buildings below the ground surface. In May 2016, test trench investigations were again undertaken by Magnus Archaeology and as a result of these investigations further site works were recommended: the excavation and preservation by record of all features associated with the Workhouse and the monitoring of all site works in the original footprint of the Waterford Union Workhouse. This work was undertaken by ACSU under Licence 17E0081 between 23 February - 17 April 2017.

Monitoring in Area 1 identified part of an external stone wall and a number of internal stone foundation walls to support an internal wooden floor. The external stone wall corresponded to the location of part of a school building depicted on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map of 1922–23. Part of an external cobbled yard, badly disturbed, was also identified.

Monitoring and excavation in Areas 2–6 identified the remains of a large accommodation block associated with the workhouse, which had been demolished in the 1990s. The excavation succeeded in identifying the foundation and sub-floor levels of this block, together with surviving flagstone surfaces. In the entrance hall (Area 2) only a small trace of the floor survived as fragments of an un-glazed red floor tile (17E0081:104:7). Part of the entrance porch, clearly seen on an aerial photograph from 1974, was identified, along with two large flanking rooms that most likely functioned as school rooms with dormitory accommodation above. Portions of two additional large rooms were exposed in the north and south wings (rooms for aged men and women), with additional foundation walls corresponding exactly with the floor plan and the rooms marked as a nursery and work room, as well as the stairwells. The disturbed remains of two flagstone floors (Areas 3–4) were also exposed behind the main accommodation building. The rear service rooms for the workhouse were also identified, including the foundation walls for the kitchen and laundry rooms (Area 5), while a red and black tiled floor surface exposed to the south-west was most likely a later toilet block (Area 6). Monitoring was also conducted of all topsoil stripping and groundworks within Areas 7–10.

No archaeological features or deposits were identified or exposed on the site during the monitoring. The only feature exposed was identified as the foundation walls of the 19th-century mortuary building within Area 9.

Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills Rd, Drogheda, Co. Louth