Report issued by council in relation to works at the Buttergate
Mayor remains defiant and says that the site should now be fully restored
A REPORT into the unauthorised works at the Buttergate over a number of months has found that ‘excavations inside the gate have clearly impacted on archaeological material and had the potential to cause further damage if the works had not been stopped.’
The 47-page report by Donald Murphy details the works that were carried out by volunteers in an effort to restore the gate and make it accessible to the public.
The unauthorised works on the site included surface clearance of overgrowth from within and surrounding the monument, clearance of ivy from the gate and surrounding walls, modification of a pre-existing gap through a 19th century wall, minor ground disturbance to create earth cut steps and allow for the insertion of concrete block steps and excavations within the gate ‘which exposed a number of archaeological features and disturbed stratified archaeological deposits.’
Experts examined the disturbed soils and artefactual material has been recovered including animal bone and medieval pottery.
It is now recommended that the exposed archaeological deposit be filled back in and steps and platform be removed, which has already been undertaken.
It was stated that the 13 simple earth cut steps had been carved out of the slope along the south side of the gate and had ‘no impact on any deposits’ other than topsoil and very little material was removed in their construction.
A further 19 concrete breeze blocks were inserted into the slope at regular intervals to act as steps leading to the base of the buttergate itself.
‘ The impact on the ground from these blocks appears minimal and involved the removal of topsoil only for the most part in an area that was already heavily quarried and backfilled. The blocks are very unsightly and coarse and do not provide safe access to the gate,’ the report states.
It is recommended that ‘suitable steps should be taken by Louth County Council in consultation with the National Monuments Section to secure the site in an appropriate manner.’
Mayor Frank Godfrey, who was part of the team that took on the voluntary clean up at the Buttergate, defended the actions.
‘People power worked at the Buttergate. The site has been neglected by the OPW and the council for too many years, causing untold damage to this monument/ Something had to be done.
‘All works were sensitively carried out and now it’s up to the authorities to carry on our work and not just fence off the site and let the weeds grow over it again. Ignoring it has caused untold damage with trees growing out of the walls,’ he stated.
‘For the first time in years people can see the gate and appreciate it. Well done to the volunteers for the part they played,’ he added.