Land parcel 3704886

Area

29,027 m² (2.9 ha, 7.17 acres)

Buildings

1 building touches it. Its footprint covers 95 m².

Zoning

No zone of a development plan covers it in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply.

Townland

—

Planning applications on this parcel

No planning application touches this parcel in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Slaney River Valley SAC 000781

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 43 recorded monuments.

• WX037-032 Historic town
  Description

  Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Wexford town was built around the deep water Pool, now occupied by the Crescent. Archaeological excavations in the town indicate that the NNW-SSE line taken by Main St. probably represents the crest of the original shore created by high tides, with most deposits E of this being composed of silts and infill. However, only one section of quay has been identified (WX032-031027-) in this area with a section at a location further inland (WX037-032043-). The earliest occupation material will probably be found W of Main St. and close to the Pool. The defences of the Viking town have not been encountered in excavation yet, but they were probably an earthen rampart with an outer fosse. Their precise route cannot be described with certainty, but it is very likely that they followed much the same line as the later Anglo Norman wall, beginning at the S end of the town at the seashore near the site of the Anglo-Norman castle (WX037 032001 ), crossing the Bishops' Water river, Bride St., Peter St., the old Kysers Lane now Mary Street, and returning to the sea probably at Cornmarket and Common Quay St. (Colfer 1990-1, 9). St. Iberius’ church appears to have been at the N limit of the town but extra-mural suburbs were burnt when the Anglo-Normans captured the town in 1169 (Bradley and King 1990, 148). This encloses an area of c. 6 ha. Archaeological excavation at the junction of Bride St. and Main St. (WX037 032020 ) confirm that this area contained Viking settlement material (Bourke 1988-9). No murage grants survive for Wexford town but traditionally the Anglo-Norman walls were begun by King John and finished c. 1300. The town received its first charter from Aymer De Valence in 1318, and charters were granted in 1410, 1538 and 1609 (Bradley and King 1990, 152). In 1307 365 burgages are recorded in the town, and this remained remarkably stable as 345 are recorded in 1537 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 102, 138). From the 14th century the silting of the harbour limited the size of ship that could enter, which precipitated a period of decline. Competition with the deeper ports of New Ross and Waterford further weakened the trading position of the town, but the harbour was a considerable asset throughout the Middle Ages (de Courcy Ireland 1970). Nevertheless, up to half the burgages are described as ‘waste’ in various inquisitions (ibid. 152). At the end of 1641 the town was in the hands of the Confederate Catholics, who dug a fosse outside the walls ‘8 feet deep and 24 feet wide’, and by the time Cromwell captured the town in October 1649 a rampart had been added inside the wall (ibid. 161), which is still evident in places. The town was described in 1682 as a walled town with five gates but it was half depopulated through the collapse of the herring fishing (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 363). There were at least six gates, known largely from a survey of 1662 and Hore’s map (1900-11, vol. 5, 284). They were the Castle Gate, Bride Gate, Peter’s Gate, St. John’s Gate, the Friars’ Gate probably on Mary St., and the Westgate or Cow Gate leading to Spa Well Rd. The only surviving gate, now called Westgate, was associated with St. Selskar’s church (WX037-032009-) and not a public road, which preserved it when the Corporation began to remove obstructions in the 18th century (Colfer 1990-1, 16). Hore’s map also shows a ‘ward gate’ between St. Iberius’ church (WX037-032013-) and the Bull Ring, which may be on the line of earlier Norse fortification. The Anglo-Norman walls (WX037-032003-) followed the likely line of much of the Viking ramparts, but settlement could extend further E and N, and an area of c. 18 ha is enclosed by these walls. The defences began at the harbour on the N side of the site of the castle (WX037 032001 ), crossed Barrack St. and King St. and Bride St. at the junction with Clifford St. From this point it progressed NNW to the top of Mary St., continued N to the W side of High St., Mallon St. and Abbey St., crossed Georges St. to the West Gate and turned NE back towards the harbour. Considerable portions survive: at the SW corner off Bride St.; from St Patrick's church to Mary St.; a small portion behind the houses on the W side of High St.; a portion with a rectangular tower W of Mallon St.; a small portion with a circular tower to the W of Abbey St. at the Cornmarket running as far as George's St. A further section runs from George’s St. to the West Gate. Within the town there are the remains of churches at St Selskar's (WX037 032009 ), St. Patrick's (WX057 032010 ) and St Mary's (WX037 032011 ). The sites of two other churches are known within the town – St Dulogue's, or Olave’s (WX037 032012 ) and St Iberius' (WX037 032013 ). Outside the town the sites of six other parish churches are known — St John's (WX037 032015 ), St Peter's (WX037 032016 ), St. Mary Magdalene’s (WX037-042001-) attached to the Leper Hospital (WX037 041 ), Holy Trinity (WX037 032014 ), St Michael's of Feagh (WX037 032017 ), St Bridget's (WX037 032018 ), and the site of the Franciscan Friary (WX037 032019 ) (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5; Hadden 1968, 1969; Colfer 1990-91, 2002) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012

• WX037-032001 Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
  Description

  The castle at Wexford is located on a slight rise at the S end of the town, and it may have been built on the site of a Viking strongpoint (Hadden 1968, 13). It is traditionally thought to have been built by King John, but it was certainly in existence by 1221, although a door-keeper of the castle is mentioned in 1185. A list of its constables from 1311 to 1590 survives (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 65). The castle was bombarded by Cromwell's forces in October 1649 and quickly surrendered, which led to the capture of the town (ibid. 293-304). The castle is described (ibid. 63-70) as having been a rectangular keep with four towers attached. It was converted to a military barracks in the 1720s (Colfer 1990-1, 18-21), and these buildings still occupy the site, but no features of a medieval castle are evident. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012

• WX037-032002 Town defences
  Description

  The Anglo-Norman walls of Wexford town followed the likely line of much of the earthen ramparts of the Vikings, but the Viking defences have not yet been recognised in any excavation. The defences began at the harbour on the N side of the site of the castle (WX037-032001-), crossed Barrack St., King St. and Bride St. at the junction with Clifford St. From this point it progressed NNW to the top of Mary St., continued N to the W side of High St., Mallon St. and Abbey St., crossed Georges St. to the West Gate and turned NE back towards the harbour. Considerable portions survive. The town wall at the SW corner of the town off Bride St. rises from flat ground around the valley of the Bishops Water River (ext. H c. 4m) but deposits against the interior reduce the height (int. H to c. 2m). The curved corner (total L c. 42m) is interrupted by inserted windows and is partly rebuilt. However, it has evidence of 5 gun loops and a benched wall walk. Archaeological testing (04E1118) at Ropewalk Yard/Stone Bridge Lane E of this and at a much lower level produced archaeological deposits and portion of a wall (Wth 1.6m) that is probably the town wall (McLoughlin 2004; excavations.ie 2004:1838). Archaeological testing (16E0051) at a development site on Clifford St. during November 2018 uncovered the base of the wall (Wth 1.4m; max. H 0.9m) which had a clay-bonded core and mortared facing stones on both sides as well as a slight external base-batter on the SW side. The inner face was abutted by a post-medieval cobbled surface and the wall itself was built on a man-made deposit (McLoughlin 2020, 10-13). A length of upstanding town wall (total L c. 100m; Wth c. 1m; ext. H c. 4m) runs N from St Patrick's church (WX037-032010-) to Mary St. An earthen rampart (Wth 3m) within the wall at St Patrick's graveyard (WX037-032032-) dates from the Cromwellian siege in 1649. A section of town wall between Mary St. and Rowe St. was inaccessible in 1988, but in 2019 a section of its outer face off Mary Street was exposed (H c. 4m) by C. McLoughlin (19E0604) when the area outside it was turned into a carpark (excavations.ie 2019:283). An accessible section of town wall survives between Rowe St. and John's Gate Street (total L 47m; H c. 2 3m), including an open backed rectangular tower, entered at the first storey. The base of this wall (Wth 1.5m) was recorded in monitoring (08E 0946) a pipe trench c. 15m SE of the surviving wall's S end and c. 5.5m NE of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, but a tower from the wall which had been removed in the late nineteenth century in this area was not encountered (McLoughlin 2008). Archaeological monitoring (E004243) of pipe trenches in 2011 by N. Gregory near the site of the St John's Gate failed to uncover any evidence of it (excavations.ie 2011:634). There is a section of wall running between John's Gate St. and George's St. (total L 25m; H 4 6m) with a circular protruding tower entered from the wall walk. The foundation trench for part of this wall was found in excavation (E000797), but there was no evidence of an outer fosse (Ryan and Cahill 1980 1). The line of the wall is continued N and S of the original section by later walling.Archaeological supervision (20E0557) by C. McLoughlin (2020) of the removal of a twentieth century extension to the house further N on Abbey Street revealed the inner side of the town wall where It is c. 4m high and in good condition. The longest surviving section of town wall is at the NW corner of the town running from George's St. to West Gate tower (WX037-032008-) and on to Westgate St. (total L c. 190m; wall H c 3-4m). A test trench (E004770) in 2016 (L 10m) across the line of the wall here on Westgate Street recorded a paved surface with possible kerbing at one point following the line of the street and sloping down to the W (D 0.55-1.1m). There was no evidence of the wall but the paving may be a medieval street and was preserved in situ (Murphy 2016).There is some evidence of an external fosse (Wth c. 10m) towards the N end and there is evidence of some gun-loops. There is also a projecting circular tower, entered from the wall walk towards the George St. end. The Westgate entrance is the only surviving gateway into the town. Essentially it is a four storey tower house, with a vaulted passage (NE-SW) at the ground floor. A mural stairs rises to the first and second floors. There is a fireplace, garderobe and two plain windows at each upper floor. There is also access from the second floor to the wall-walk of the town wall to the N. There is a newel stairs to the third floor and the destroyed parapet, which has lookout platforms on the W and S angles. The Westgate has been restored by Wexford County Council for use as visitor centre. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload; 19 December, 2012 Amended: 17 November 2020; 23 December 2021

• WX037-032009 Church
  Description

  St. Selskar’s church, dedicated to SS Peter and Paul, was founded by the Roches as a priory for the Augustinian Canons Regular, and it was certainly in existence by 1240. It is argued that that it is an early pre-Norse foundation (Colfer 1990-1, 6-13) and this is supported by the curved pattern created by the streets and town wall in the vicinity. The abbey was suppressed in 1541, but by then it had long been the parish church of St Selskar's parish – the name may be a corruption of 'Sepulchre' (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 72), or derived from the Norse ‘skar’ meaning a rock (Colfer 1990-1, 13). The church was fortified with a tower in the later middle ages, and according to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 David Browne was the curate. While the chancel was in repair the church was not (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 266). In 1818 a Church of Ireland church was built E of the medieval structure in a neo-gothic style (Lewis 1839, vol. 2, 710), but this is now roofless. The church is located on a slight rise within a small triangular graveyard (dims c. 70m E-W; c. 45m N-S) defined by masonry walls at N and SE and the town wall on the SW side. The wall of a medieval building (WX037-032049-) is incorporated in part of the SE graveyard wall. The medieval church has a double nave (int. L at least 30m; total int. Wth 11.6m.), probably of 13th century date, with an arcade of four pointed arches separating the two aisles. The W windows are largely destroyed although they were in the decorated style and have glazing grooves. The S wall, now largely removed, contained four windows with square hood mouldings (Grose 1791, vol. 2, pI. 114, and ff. 76). The fortified tower is at the E end of the S nave (ext. dims. 8.37m E-W; 7.52m N-S) and has quoins of dressed and chamfered Dundry stone. It is entered through a modern doorway from the 19th century church and a lintelled doorway with a chamfer at the SW angle leads to the newel stairs that rises to the parapet. A lintelled doorway leads from the stairway to the first floor under an E-W vault with traces of wicker-centering but the corbels to support the floor have been removed. A rebuilt doorway leads to the second floor over the vault that has window embrasures with seats in the S and W walls and rebates on each wall for the ceiling. A rebuilt doorway leads to the third floor that has a window embrasure with seats in each wall. The dressed stonework is granite, the S window being round-headed while the N window has a fragment of a cusped ogee-head. There are corbels to support the ceiling in each wall, except the N. At the parapet the stepped crenellation is probably re-built, but there are gables rising over the inner edge of the wall-walk (H above ground 15.1m) at N and S. The newel stairs continues to an enclosed look-out chamber over the stairs housing. The tower has no fireplaces or garderobes, and did not function as a belfry. A 13th century graveslab, a 17th century armorial crest, a 17th century memorial and a sarcophagus (Bradley 1988, 90) are in the church. (Cullen 1895, 369 72; Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 72 5; Harbison 1975, 250; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 197 8) This is a National Monument in state guardianship: No. 445. See the attached views of: _1 the tower from S: _8, _1, _14 aerial views from E, NW and S The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013; 11 February 2020

• WX037-032010 Church
  Description

  The parish church of St Patrick's is located on a rise within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 45m NNW-SSE; c. 25m ENE-WSW at S to c. 50m ENE-WSW at N) defined by masonry walls on three sides with the town wall at W. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 William Roche was the vicar and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 267). This church has a double nave (int. L 12.95m; total int. Wth 12.92m) that survives complete to the eaves, except the SW angle, and a chancel (L 9.5m), now represented only by the S wall. An arcade of four arches with plank centering but plain voussoirs separates the S nave (int. Wth 5.76m) from the N nave (int. Wth 6.3m). There is a double bellcote over the W gable of the N aisle, and a Sanctus bellcote over the chancel arch of the S nave. The W window of the S aisle was probably a lancet, but there is an inserted triple-light window in limestone with cusped ogee-heads in the W gable of the N aisle. There are destroyed doorways in the N and S walls of the nave, and there is a possible doorway in the S wall of the chancel. There are three window embrasures in the N and S nave walls, but the only complete window is a triple-light ogee-headed window at the E end of the S nave wall and this is probably inserted. There are no memorial monuments in the graveyard. (Cullen 1895, 374; Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 76-9) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013

• WX037-032011 Church
  Description

  The parish church of St Mary's is situated on a W-E toe of relatively high ground within a D-shaped graveyard (dims c. 60m NE-SW; c. 40m NW-SE) defined by masonry walls, with the straight side at SW. References date from 1365 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 79). According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 William Roche was the old curate and the church and chancel were in repair (ibid. vol. 6, 267). It is depicted by Grose (1791. vol. 1, pI. 132, and ff. 48) as a double nave church similar to St Patrick's (WX037-032010-) and St Selskar's (WX037-032009-). Only the W gable of the N aisle, with a damaged double bellcote and the foundations of the adjacent N side wall, survives, but the outline of the church (total L c. 30m E-W) can be traced. The N wall fell in January 2019 and conservation works (C000756) were conducted by C. McLoughlin (excavations.ie 2019:027) when no archaeological features came to light. (Cullen 1895, 374-5) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013; 23 December 2021

• WX037-032012 Church
  Description

  The parish church of St Doologe's, which is a corruption of St Olave's, is at the extreme S end of the town. It is the smallest parish in the town, and perhaps in the country, occupying a little more than 1 ha. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 David Browne was the curate of St. Towlocks, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 267). The church is mentioned in a survey of 1662 (ibid. vol. 5, 76, 338) but its location has never been recorded on a map. However, it is thought to have been located near the junction of Lower King St. and Barrack St. (Hadden 1968, 13). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013

• WX037-032013 Church
  Description

  The parish church of St Iberius is at the N end of the Norse town and on the E side of North Main St. It is named after St. Ibar or Iobhar of Begerin (WX038-004001-), who is one of the most mythologized saints in Ireland (Ó Riain 2011, 381-2). The location is reputedly the site of an early church but there is no evidence of this, although it was a medieval parish. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 the church was impropriate to St. Selskar’s, David Browne was the priest, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 267). The present building was built in 1760-6. (Hore 1900-11, vol.5, 80 81, 385-6) Archaeological monitoring (20E0734) of groundworks outside the W doorway uncovered a culvert, from which human bone was recovered, and also a fragment of a N-W wall that extended E (Wth 0.6m plus) beneath the W wall of the present church and may be from the medieval church, but the only artefacts recovered were seventeenth to eighteenth century ceramics. (McLoughlin 2021, 14-15) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013, 4 August 2021

• WX037-032015 Church
  Description

  The site of the parish church of St John's is situated on a NE-facing slope and just outside the town walls of Wexford and on the NW side of St. John’s Gate St. It is within a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 60m NE-SW; c. 20-25m NW-SE) defined by masonry walls. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 the church was impropriate to the Knight’s Hospitaller of Kilclogan, David Browne was the curate and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 267). It was described by Robert Leigh in 1684 as a church with a steeple, but its stones had been used to repair the castle (WX037-032001-) (ibid. vol. 5, 84). There are no visible remains of the church but a sarcophagus (H 1.6m; Wth 0.6m; T 0.32m; D 0.26m) with three drain-holes (Bradley 1988, 90) is set upright in the graveyard. Archaeological testing (03E0204) identified a ditch (Wth 4m; D 0.65m) containing post-medieval pottery running NW-SE c. 8m NE of the graveyard wall, which may be part of an original boundary of the graveyard or a field boundary (Moloney and Gleeson 2003). A number of burials, largely post-medieval in date on artefactual evidence, were excavated (03E0204) inside the line of this boundary, but one of them produced a C14 date of AD 1430-1640 (MacDomhnaill 2008). (Cullen 1895, 375; Hore 1906, vol. 5, 84). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 18 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013

• WX037-032016 Church
  Description

  The parish church of St Peter is outside the town wall. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 David Browne was the curate and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 267). It was described as recently destroyed by Synott writing c. 1680 (Hore 1862, 66) and it is marked as a building (dim. c. 20m E-W) described as in ruins on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6-inch map within a graveyard (dims c. 50m E-W; c. 40m N-S) that is now St Peter's Square. The foundations were extant in a neglected graveyard in the 1890s (Cullen 1895, 376), but now there are no visible remains of the church or graveyard at ground level. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 19 December, 2012 Amended: 2 Sep. 2013

And 33 more.

Architectural heritage

• Quay/wharf, 1794–1840 · Regional interest
  Description

  Quay front, extant 1840.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Ground and risks

Radon

The EPA radon map gives no estimate at the centre of this parcel.

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map gives no landslide susceptibility class here. Parts of the land are made ground.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_3056 (ZIP).

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Download this parcel as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program. GeoJSON, in WGS 84, suits a map, and KML opens in Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.