What is recorded here

Westcourt Demesne holds a buried kitchen where heat and water collided for centuries. John Channing opened the site in April 1995, revealing an oval trough beside fierce burning patches, while the Kings River waited only ten metres south. People may have stood there in rain or midday sun, dropping hot stones into the trench until steam hissed across the demesne. They left no pots or jewels behind, only cracked stone and charcoal, as if the work itself mattered more than the things it touched.

The Kings River is located c. 10m to the S. A fulacht fiadh identified during archaeological monitoring in advance of the construction of a bridge abutment for the Callan bypass. The monument was excavated by John Channing in April 1995 (unlicenced monitoring no. 95N0007). When the topsoil was removed a roughly circular area (diam. 10-14m) of fire-cracked stone mixed with charcoal was revealed, with a denser concentration at the centre. Excavation uncovered an oval trough (dims. 2.6m N-S; 1.85m E-W; D 0.5m) in the N sector, with three areas of intense burning to the S and SE of the trough as well as a number of small associated pits or shallow depressions. The excavator noted that in wet periods the trough would have filled with water naturally. There were no artefacts associated with the monument. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 27 March 2023

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