County: Wexford Site name: Bride Street/King Street, Wexford
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WX037-032002 Licence number: E005530
Author: Colm Moriarty
Site type: Town Wall
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 704928m, N 621496m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.335029, -6.460333
Archaeological monitoring of conservation repairs was carried out on a section of the town wall that stretches between Bride Street and King Street, Wexford. This wall is a Recorded Monument (WX037-032002) and is also listed as a National Monument.
The works were undertaken by Wexford County Council and part-funding was provided by the Irish Walled Towns Network Grant Scheme, which is overseen by the Heritage Council. In summary, the works to stabilise and conserve the wall involved removing vegetation, consolidating wall tops, targeted repointing of degraded mortar joints and flaunching wall tops. Some rebuild also occurred.
The conservation works were archaeologically monitored (Ministerial Consent C000661; E005530) in case any unrecorded features were uncovered and to ensure that existing historic elements were retained. The monitoring programme identified several architectural features, including two putlog holes, two stretches of string course, two gun-loops, a window ope, a parapet, a wall-walk and four probable crenulations. These important historical elements were retained and conserved as part of the works.
In addition, the removal of vegetation, loose mortar and earth was monitored and consideration was given to the possibility that small finds may have been concealed behind masonry or in crevices. However, no archaeological artefacts were identified during the works. It should be noted that no sub-surface excavation occurred at the site.
The Hill, The Leap, Davidstown, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
