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2016 20 Barnhall Archaeological Assessment

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2016 20 Barnhall Archaeological Assessment Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Archaeological Assessment Client: Ardstone Residential Partners 48 Fitzwilliam Square Dublin 2 Licence No: 17E0333 Archaeologist: Aidan O’ Connell Report Date: 26th October 2017 Our Ref: 2016_20 Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Assessment SITE NAME Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare CLIENT Ardstone Residential Partners INVESTIGATION TYPE Archaeological testing and geophysical survey LICENCE NO 17E0333 PLANNING REF n/a TOWNLAND(S) Barnhall IRISH TRANSVERSE MERCATOR 699153,735745 RMP NO - RPS NO B11-15 ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSULTANT Archer Heritage Planning Ltd. ARCHAEOLOGIST Aidan O’ Connell DATE OF ISSUE 26th October 2017 JOB REF. 2016_20 Archer Heritage Planning Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Testing and Geophysical Survey CONTENTS CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................................ I SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................................... III 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. SITE DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REQUIREMENT ................................................................................................................ 1 3. METHOD STATEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 2 4. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 2 4.1 GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND................................................................................................... 2 4.2 RECORD OF MONUMENTS & PLACES ............................................................................................................ 3 4.3 TOPOGRAPHICAL FILES ............................................................................................................................... 7 4.4 CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES .......................................................................................................................... 8 4.5 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ............................................................................................................................... 8 .6 ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE ........................................................................................................................... 9 4.7 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS ................................................................................................ 10 4.8 TOPONYMS ............................................................................................................................................. 10 4.9 GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY ............................................................................................................................. 11 5. ARCHAEOLOGICAL TESTING .................................................................................................................... 11 5.1 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 11 5.2 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................ 11 5.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 14 6. IMPACTS & RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 15 7. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 16 7.1 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 16 7.2 OTHER SOURCES ..................................................................................................................................... 16 7.3 WEB REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 16 i Archer Heritage Planning Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Testing and Geophysical Survey List of Tables Table 1: Archaeological sites within the wider area of the proposed development (see Figure 2) Table 2: Cartographic sources relating to the site (Figure 3) Table 3: Aerial photograph sources relating to the site (Figure 6) Table 4: Architectural Heritage records adjacent to the proposed development Table 5: Previous archaeological excavations adjacent to the subject site Table 6: Testing results Table 7: Significance Criteria List of Figures Figure 1: Location of site and surrounding RMP’s Figure 2: Proposed Site Layout Plan Figure 3: Record of Monuments and Places Figure 4: Extracts from early historical maps (i) Figure 5: Extracts from early historical maps (ii) Figure 6: Extracts from aerial photographs Figure 7: Geophysical Survey Results Figure 8: Testing Results Figure 9: Plan and section of F1 enclosure ditch Figure 10: Detailed northeastern testing results Figure 11: Proposed Mitigation Strategies List of Plates Plate 1: Trench 1 from south Plate 2: Trench 4 from E Plate 3: Trench 6 from east Plate 4: Trench 4 from northeast Plate 5: Trench 6 from north Plate 6: Trench 10 from east Plate 7: Trench 12; F2 North facing section Plate 8: Trench 14; F3 north facing section Plate 9: Trench 15; F4 south facing section Plate 10: Trench 16; F5 from east Plate 11: Trench 18; F6 from north Plate 12: Trench 19; F7 from north Plate 13: Trench 20; F8 from east Plate 14: Trench 13; F9 from NE Plate 15: Trench 12; F10 south facing section Plate 16: Trench 23; F11 south facing section Plate 17: Trench 21; F12 northeast facing section Plate 18: Trench 21; F13 East facing section Plate 19: Trench 21; F14 East facing section Plate 20: Trench 24 from east Plate 21: Trench 26 from north Plate 22: Trench 28 from west ii Archer Heritage Planning Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Testing and Geophysical Survey SUMMARY An archaeological assessment was carried out at the site of a proposed development at lands in Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The site covers an approximate area of 19 Hectares and is surrounded by residential developments to the north, east and west. To the south the lands are bounded by the gardens surrounding The Wonderful Barn Complex and beyond by the M4 Motorway. A geophysical survey of the site was carried out followed by targeted test trenching. Geophysical survey indicated the presence of a circular ditched enclosure, 40m in diameter and located at the north of the site. Test trench locations were agreed in advance with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Excavation licence 17E0333) and specifically targeted geophysical anomalies. A total of 28 trenches were mechanically excavated across the site under archaeological supervision. The presence of the circular enclosure was confirmed. It is provisionally interpreted as a possible Early Medieval ringfort. Numerous additional ditches were recorded to the east of the enclosure in an adjoining field. Assessment of the Barnhall enclosure/ringfort indicates that it is a site of moderate significance on a regional scale. The proposed development works will have a direct negative impact on this site. o It is recommended that the proposed development plan be revised in order to preserve the enclosure site in-situ. o It is recommended that should total avoidance or preservation in-situ of this site not be possible, any areas of the archaeological site which may be affected by development works at this location be subject to full archaeological excavation in advance of construction. o It is recommended that topsoil across the northern area of the subject site be removed under constant archaeological supervision under licence to the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The conclusions and recommendations expressed in this report are subject to the approval of The Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the relevant local authorities. As the statutory body responsible for the protection of Ireland’s archaeological and cultural heritage resource, the DCHG may issue alternative or additional recommendations. Revision Status Date Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by O’Connell (Archer) O’Hara (Archer) 1 Final Oct 2017 C. Mc Guinness SENIOR ARCHAEOLOGIST SENIOR ARCHAEOLOGIST iii Archer Heritage Planning Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Testing and Geophysical Survey iv Archer Heritage Planning Barnhall, Leixlip, Co. Kildare Archaeological Testing and Geophysical Survey 1. INTRODUCTION This archaeological assessment report for a proposed development has been prepared by Archer Heritage Planning Ltd for Ardstone Residential Partners. A geophysical survey was undertaken in August 2017 by J.M. Leigh Surveys (17R0132) followed by the current phase
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