2023:440 - 8 Suffolk Street, Kells, Meath

Archaeological monitoring was carried out at 8 Suffolk Street, Kells, Co. Meath on 24 November 2023. The site is located within the Zone of Archaeological Potential associated with Kells (ME017:044). There were three linear slot trenches excavated at the back of the house, forming a “U” shape. The topsoil layer (C1) was stripped away using a mini-digger with a grading bucket. The slot trenches were excavated to various depths not exceeding 1m and exposed the natural subsoil which consisted of a light greyish-brown sandy clay with small angular and sub-angular stones under 20mm diameter.
A stone-lined culvert, oriented north-south and perpendicular to the northern boundary wall, was identified running parallel with and c. 3m from the back of the houses. This stone-lined culvert was redundant, as works in the adjacent garden to the north had cut through it, as could be seen at the northern boundary wall. The culvert was made from flat stones and measured 1m in external width, with an internal width of 0.3m and an internal depth of 0.6m. It would seem likely that this would be a common feature at the back of the houses on Suffolk Street, as the feature extended beyond the burgage boundary to the north and extended beyond the limit of excavation to the south.
No archaeological features or deposits were exposed, and no finds were recovered.