County: Down Site name: Leitrim Road, Kilkeel
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE-21-017
Author: Eoin Halpin
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 729692m, N 817320m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.088622, -6.017565
The proposal related to an archaeological condition on a full planning permission for the erection of a single storey dwelling, access and associated services. The site was located 60m south-east of 29 Leitrim Road, Kilkeel, Co Down, potentially encroaching on the remains of an enclosure DOW055:015, which, due to agricultural improvements, had no above-ground expression.
The most important aspect of this development was the possible uncovering of archaeology associated with the enclosure which, according to the OS 2nd ed. map, is located along the line of the modern access track, to the west of the proposed site of the house.
A two phased mitigation strategy was proposed. Firstly, it was proposed to build up the levels of the existing access track with crushed stone laid on a layer of geotextile matting, to avoid any possible disturbance to the potential buried archaeology associated with the enclosure site. It was also proposed that the buried service line be dug tight against the line of the existing modern breeze block wall so that any associated ground disturbance will be within the ground already disturbed by the foundations trench for the modern wall.
Secondly, it was proposed to test the house site and services with a series of three machine-dug test trenches, spaced 10m apart positioned over the footprint of the proposed house and associated percolation area.
Testing revealed a small isolated deposit of burnt mound material measuring 3m by 2.5m. As it was located within an area of the development which will be under lawn, a strategy of preservation in situ was proposed, whereby the deposits was covered in a protective layer of geotextile matting and reburied under some 500mm of topsoil.
AHC Ltd, 36 Ballywillwill Road, Castlewellan, Co. Down BT31 9LF
