Inn

The National Monuments Service's description

Kyteler’s Inn, opposite the Market Slip on St Kieran's Street is a rare surviving example, albeit much modified by restorations undertaken in 1966, of a medieval merchant’s house and inn (O'Cochlain 1968; Farrelly et al. 1993, 92; Bradley 2000, 25). A thorough archaeological building study has never been completed of the structure but it is clear that much of the standing historic fabric is of pre-1700 date. The rectangular building (ext. dims. 19.5m N-S x 8.25m E-W) consists of two-storeys over a basement. The first floor is completely occupied by a hall, referred to in 1432 as 'Ketleryshall', that runs parallel to the street-frontage and above a vaulted cellar supported on octagonal pillars that is probably of earlier, perhaps 14th century, date (Bradley 2000, 25). The front/W elevation has been much altered and the roof has been lowered. At the N end of the front wall the upper part of a round-headed doorway with hood-moulding is visible, indicating that the original street level was considerably lower. What appears to be a late medieval link building flanks the S side of a square courtyard to the rear of the cellar. This basic plan of house/link building/courtyard finds parallels at Rothe House and like at this site the area to the S (currently the service yard) was probably occupied by a laneway and another, separate, burgage plot. The building retains many architectural details typical of this latter period (Farrelly et al. 1993, 92). In the N gable, for example, there are a number of single- and two-light chamfered windows, two with hood-mouldings. In the wall which continues the gable eastward there is a round-headed two-light window. There are two domestic wells in the yard behind which were revealed during restoration work in 1966. St. Kieran's Well is located in the yard behind Kyteler's Inn. A 13th-century font (KK019-026150-), which was found in this well, is now kept in St. Francis' Abbey (KK019-026101-). Kyteler's Inn is reputed to be the house of the famous Kilkenny witch Alice Kyteler. Archaeological test-excavations by Margaret Gowen (94E0199 and 95E0062) within the site and in its environs indicate that the building is situated on deeply stratified and waterlogged deposits associated with the reclamation of the floodplain of the river Nore in the 13th/14th century (Gowen 1994; 1995; 1996, 50).

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 16 November 2020

References

Farrelly, J., O'Reilly, B., and Loughran, A. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Kilkenny (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Bradley, J. 2000 Kilkenny. Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 10. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.

O'Cochlain, C., 1968 Kyteler's Inn, Kilkenny. Self published.

Gowen, M. 1995 Report on archaeological assessment at Kyteler's Inn, Kilkenny 95E0062. Unpublished report. M. Gowen and Co. Ltd.

Gowen, M. 1996 Kytlers Inn, 25-26 St Kierans St., Kilkenny: medieval urban. Excavations 1995: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, No. 170, 50. Bray. Wordwell.

Gowen, M. 1994 Report on archaeological assessment at Kyteler's Inn, Kilkenny 94E0199. Unpublished report. M. Gowen and Co. Ltd.