Location
License No.
Description
Three trenches were opened to test two areas. Area 1 was a terraced area in the western end of the development site. Two test-trenches were excavated here, uncovering sediments of 18th-century date. A broken quernstone was recovered from the modern ground surface, beneath undergrowth. It is possible that this find was recently brought onto site, along with the large amount of domestic debris that littered the area. Area 2 was a covered area that formerly operated as a glass factory, which fronted onto Popes Quay. A long trench with an east – west orientation was used to test this area. Again, sediments of 18th-century date were uncovered. Bedrock was uncovered at the western end of this trench. Two test-trenches were opened on the site in April 2001 in advance of development. The concrete base which covered the site was removed to facilitate the excavation of the trenches. This concrete flooring had been laid directly onto bedrock. No archaeological finds or levels were noted. An application to Cork Corporation to construct an extension to the west side of the Shandon Court Hotel in Shandon necessitated testing in June 2001. The parish of Shandon is located outside and to the north of the walled medieval city of Cork. Map evidence (1869) indicated that the area selected for development was part of the graveyard to the west known as St Anne’s Graveyard. The primary aim of the assessment was to determine whether in situ burials were present in the proposed development site. Three test-trenches were excavated at the proposed locations of three boreholes for the site investigation. They were initially opened by machine owing to the presence of carpark surface material and recent infill. Mechanical excavation ceased following the exposure of archaeological deposits and all work was then undertaken by hand. Test-trench 1 was placed at the southern end of the development immediately to the east of the access ramp. It measured 2m by 2m and excavation ceased at a depth of 1.5m when the upper half of an in situ skeleton was exposed. The skeleton was oriented east – west and the lower portion of the body extended under the eastern side of the trench. The skull was very fragmented and the overall impression from the state of the surviving bone is that the burial was subjected to considerable damage at some stage in the past. The skeleton was sealed by a layer of mid- to dark brown sandy silt, which was in turn overlain by a layer of relatively light brown sandy silt. Both layers contained modern glass and delft. Test-trench 2 was centrally placed in the development area close to the dividing wall between the graveyard and the carpark. It was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.98m and testing revealed six displaced
38 John Street Upper, Cork
01E0321
St. Anne’s Graveyard, Shandon, Cork
01E0529
Integrated Urban Strategy, Shandon, Cork Baseline archaeological assessment
25
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