House - medieval

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the S side of Narrow West Street, at the crest of the S-facing slope down to the River Boyne. The house at 43/44 West Street, has a projecting chimney breast on the E gable, but a commemorative plaque of Nicholas Elcock with the date 1583 on the E wall was thought to have been moved from another house (Tempest 1943). Internal works during 2017 removed internal walls at the ground floor level, and revealed the internal stairs to be a 19th century feature. The roof is also of this date, probably resulting from a refurbishment of c. 1830. The masonry of the basement and ground floor appear to be late medieval in date. The E wall at the first floor and much of the second is also original, and the Elcock plaque might be in its original position. The N wall at the basement level has a base-batter, suggesting it was probably the original ground floor of a three storey building, the roof-line of which is evident inside the E gable. About 1650 new structural timbers were introduced, and a decorative fireplace added to the E gable at the first floor. Later in the seventeenth century, c. 1675, the front (N) and S walls above the basement were rebuilt.

The above description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of revision: 17 July 2007

References

Tempest, H.G. 1943a Two fireplace inscriptions 1584 and 1612. County Louth Archaeological and Historical Journal 10 (3), 216-21.

Stirland, J. 2017 Archaeological Assessment / appraisal of Works at 43/44 Narrow West Street Drogheda, Co. Louth. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Service.