1974:0015 - DUBLIN CITY : Wood Quay, Dublin

Excavation in 1974 was concentrated in two strips (each 40m x 15m), one along a section of the Old City Wall and the other at right angles to it, approaching the River Liffey. Essentially, this site is part of the area outside the city wall which was reclaimed from the river in the Early Norman period when increased trade and port activity necessitated a more commodious reception area along the waterfront.

The strip along the city wall has so far revealed what appears to be a wooden wharf from which issue a series of wooden drains largely built of reused ship’s timbers and flanked by post and wattle fences. These were recovered underneath a stone drain of medieval date and it is hoped to continue their excavation during 1975.

The principal structure recovered in the strip approaching the Liffey is a wooden revetment of oak uprights with horizontal boards set on their edges behind them. The uprights are braced on the waterside by a series of struts which are mortised and dowelled into soleplates which are pegged into the ground. This structure, which is tentatively ascribed to the first decase of the 13th century, was built slightly farther out into the water than a more flimsy post and wattle revetment for which it was substituted.

A cobbled pathway resting on a wattle screen was found on top of the back-fill at the city side of the revetment. The area between the revetment and the city wall was reclaimed with dumped habitation refuse prior to acting as a foundation for a series of sill-beams for a warehouse complex. In addition to thousands of potsherds of local and imported (principally Bristol) origin, the infill also contained quernstones, a late 12th century bracteate and an extensive assemblage of clinker-built ships’ timbers.

Sometime later in the 13th century more land was reclaimed from the river when another revetment was erected farther out. The first wooden revetment became redundant and was soon breached by a stone drain. The finds from the second phase appear to be slightly later than those from the first and include decorated leather knife sheaths, French polychrome, English and local wares as well as a bronze weighing scales. Other finds so far excavated include bronze tweezers ands tick-pins, wooden and bone combs and gaming pieces, wooden troughs, boxes, and bowls in addition to considerable quantities of animal and fish bones.

On present evidence, it appears that much of the reclamation of the area between the old city wall the present river was effected in the relatively short time-span, 1180-1320.

It is proposed to extend the area of the excavation westwards towards Winetavern Street and northwards towards the river Liffey in 1975, to establish the extent of the early 13th century revetment, to examine the nature and relation to it of the later revetments as well as the function of what appears to be a post and wattle break-water.