County: Antrim Site name: St Patricks Barracks Link road, Ballymena
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/22/069
Author: Naomi Richardson/Farrimond Macmanus ltd
Site type: Neolithic, early medieval structure, souterrain
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 711529m, N 903099m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.863278, -6.262694
Archaeological excavations were carried out, having been commissioned in response to planning conditions for a proposed single road carriageway between Larne Road Link and Broughshane Road, Ballymena, Co. Antrim.
Archaeological monitoring of topsoil removal carried out between 20 June – 4 October 2022 identified evidence of archaeological deposits located on the brow of a hill south of Castle Tower School within Section 2 of the proposed scheme. These archaeological deposits were uncovered beneath 0.2-0.3m of topsoil, cut into an orange/brown silty clay subsoil. This activity, comprised of small pits, post-holes and possible slot trenches, was located in a localised area of 40m x 20m. Occasional surface finds of struck/worked flint and prehistoric pottery were also identified.
A collapsed souterrain was uncovered to the south side of the site extending beyond the limit of excavation towards the Braid River. Subsequent radiocarbon dating confirmed a multi-period site with dates from the Late Neolithic and Early Medieval periods.
Adelaide House, Belfast
