Most likely used for cooking, bathing, or industrial processes involving heated water, burnt mounds typically consist of accumulations of fire-cracked stone and charcoal deposited near a water source. Here, that source was the Three Trout's stream, which runs north to south just outside the excavated area, and the burnt material had spread in a shallow layer along the western edge of the site, almost certainly reduced in depth by centuries of ploughing.

The site came to light gradually, through a sequence of investigations spanning several years. A geophysical survey conducted by Joanna Leigh in 2015 identified crop marks in the south-western corner of the proposed development, and these anomalies were then tested in 2017 by Rob Lynch and Enda Lydon of IAC Archaeology. That testing distinguished three separate areas of archaeological interest. Full excavation of the relevant area followed in 2020, carried out by Muireann Ní Cheallacháin for IAC Archaeology during construction works by Cairn Homes. The burnt spread itself sealed a possible trough feature, sub-oval in plan and filled with the same scorched material, which would be consistent with the kind of water-heating pit often found at burnt mound sites. Four associated pits lay to the east. The largest, pit C513, sat roughly two metres to the south-east and contained two fills with charcoal and heat-affected stone. Pits C516 and C519 were close together a short distance to the north-east, and a fourth pit, C497, lay about six metres further out, each holding charcoal in varying quantities. The broader Archaeological Area 1 also included two circular anomalies and an outer enclosure visible in both the geophysical survey and aerial photography, suggesting this corner of Wicklow saw sustained prehistoric activity.