County: Dublin Site name: Abingdon, Shankill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 20E0532
Author: John Ó Néill
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 725476m, N 722791m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.240653, -6.120151
The site is bordered to the north by Abingdon House and grounds, to the west by Derwent House, and to the east and south by residential estates. The site is currently under grass and is bounded by mature trees and hedges on the north, east and west. On the southern side a wire fence and trees separate the site from a green area and public pathway. The closest recorded monument is Shanganagh Castle (DU026-031001) situated 190m to the west.
A total of 15 trenches measuring c. 395 linear metres were excavated across the site. Trenches were mostly aligned east-west and north-south and evenly spaced across the area of the proposed development. A previous geophysical survey had not identified any features of likely archaeological significance.
Topsoil across the site was a loose silty clay which varied in depth from 0.35m to 0.7m. The greater depth of topsoil tended to be present towards the northern end of the site.
The topsoil overlay subsoil that varied between stiff orange-brown clay with outcrops of granite boulders and bands of sandy grey clay. A small number of drainage features of nineteenth- and twentieth-century date were present within the subsoil, along with modern rubbish pits.
While no areas of archaeological potential were visible in the geophysical survey results, modern rubbish pits and drainage features could be subsequently identified with visible trends and anomalies interpreted from the geophysical survey data. There was little evidence for agricultural activity at the site. Traces of root burning and the increasing depth of topsoil at the northern end of the site appear to reflect landscaping associated with Abingdon House and subsequent development of the area.
For Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd
