Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

The souterrain is located in a tillage field, on a gentle west-facing slope. It consists of a single beehive chamber (diam. 2.15m) with an entrance creepway (H 0.55m; Wth 0.48m; D 0.5m) on its E side and a drainage hole (H 0.35m; Wth 0.3m) on its W side. The chamber was revealed during ploughing when the ground collapsed; the top of the roof is c. 0.8m below current ground level and the opening c. 06m wide. This may have been caused by the plough displacing the capstone of the vault as the opening is at the apex of the roof. The basal course of the chamber is composed largely of single stones (H c. 0.45m) on which the wall rises in corbelled fashion (H c. 0.8m; D 0.5m) using smaller flatter stones gradually inclined inwards (surviving H c. 0.8m; D 0.5m). The entrance is formed by two large jamb stones and a single lintel (L 0.95m; H 0.2m). Beyond this access was not gained but it is evident that the excavation rises steeply towards ground level. This passage is roughly quarried and not stoned lined. The opening into the drain is of similar construction except smaller. The drain is neatly built of lintelled construction and only very gently inclined. It runs c. 2m before being blocked by soil. The floor of the chamber is completely covered by the roof collapse.

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of Upload: 1 May 2013