County: Wicklow Site name: Castlefield, Fassaroe Lane, Fassaroe, Bray
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WI007-027---- Licence number: 21E0406
Author: Donald Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 724160m, N 717480m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.193257, -6.141922
This site of the proposed development is located at Castlefield, Fassaroe Lane, Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow. The site is adjacent to and to the east of a cul de sac just off Fassaroe Lane, in the south-east part of Fassaroe townland in Castlefield, Bray, Co. Wicklow. The site is located to the west of Bray town, on the west side of N11 to the north of the meeting of Cookstown and Dargle Rivers, just south of Wicklow border with Dublin. The site consists of a rectangular plot that was previously a part of a large site, with a dwelling located to the east.
The north-east extent of the site is located within the zone of Archaeological Potential associated with Castle – tower house WI007-027----. This granite tower house was built in the 16th century, with two walls and foundations surviving and located c. 20m east of the site. The site contains no protected structures listed within the Wicklow County Development Plan 2016-2022. There are two such structures located in Fassaroe. These consist of two Country Houses to the south of the site: St. Valery RPS ID. 03-32 and Fassaroe Cottage RPS ID. 03-34.
The site is a part of a plot that was previously subjected to archaeological test trenching. This was carried out under licence 16E0052. Four test trenches were excavated with Trenches 1 and 2 within the north and north-eastern portion of the current site, within the footprint of the existing driveway. A number of modern features were recorded in the trenches, including a shallow curvilinear feature in Trench 1 and a modern pit in Trench 2. No deposits or features of archaeological significance were exposed.
Archaeological monitoring of all ground works associated with the current proposed development was carried out in June 2021. The topsoil (C01) measured 0.25m in maximum depth and lay above a mixture of natural orange-brown boulder clay and gravel (C02). No archaeological features were exposed and no finds were recovered. All site works are complete and no further archaeological works are necessary.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth
