County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: St. Michael le Pole, Ship Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: K. Campbell and M. Gowen
Site type: Church
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 715226m, N 733726m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.341207, -6.269667
Excavations by the Dublin Archaeological Research Team on behalf of Dodder Properties (Holdings) Ltd. took place over a nine-week period on a large site hounded by Ship Street Great, Ship Street Little, Bride Street, Chancery Lane and Golden Lane. Of the nine cuttings excavated five were concentrated on the site of the church of St. Michael le Pole, where three broad phases were recognised:
1. Pre-12th-century activity represented by postholes, pits, gullies, a lintel grave and other burials.
2. A 12th-century stone church and probable foundations of Round Tower belfry. The west gable of the church. 7.2m long and 0.9m wide, and foundation courses of adjoining parts of the north and south walls were uncovered.
3. Post-1682 reuse of the church as a schoolhouse (1706) and almshouse (1787), and eventual replacement by schoolhouse of 1900.
Deposits of medieval and post-medieval date were found in cuttings on the margins of the site towards Bride Street, Ship Street Great and Golden Lane.
