2024:834 - Lissahawley, Derry

The archaeological testing at Lissahawley, County Derry, associated with the development of the Strathfoyle Siphon, River Foyle Crossing on the east bank of the River Foyle, was undertaken on 4 April 2024. The overall area has been heavily developed in the past and is crisscrossed by numerous buried services, including sewage pipes, drains, water services, underground cables and a gas pipeline.

The archaeological testing consisted of the excavation of four trenches measuring 1.8m in width and covering a total length of 100m. The trenches were excavated in a systematic manner, involving the removal of the topsoil/sod first and the excavation of the layers of fill material down to the natural subsoil.

The topsoil/sod across the site consisted mostly of mid-brown silty clay with moderate amounts of small stones, containing modern refuse in the form of plastics, metals, as well as brick and concrete fragments. It measured between 0.1-0.3m in depth. Apart from a small portion of Trench 3 where bedrock outcropping was found directly under the topsoil, there was an often-deep layer (or layers) of fill material between the topsoil and the natural subsoil, up to 0.8m in depth.

No potential archaeological features were identified in any of the trenches and no archaeological artefacts were found during a scan of the spoil.