1989:030 - DUBLIN: Bridge Street Lower, Wood Quay Ward, Dublin

The site, covering an area of 81m north-south by 50m east-west, is located at the south side of the Brazen Head Hotel. It lay in the north-west corner of the medieval town, an area reclaimed from the Liffey flood plain in the 13th century. The town wall of c.1300 runs north-northwest/south-south-east through the western sector, roughly parallel to present-day Augustine Street.

Prior to development, the site was examined in three phases: Phases 1 and 2 were carried out prior to the granting of planning permission and Phase 3 was carried out after planning permission (without any attached conditions relating to the archaeology) had been granted, by another archaeologist (see site 31, 1989). Phase 1: Ten trial bores were examined in May/June 1989. These confirmed the survival of medieval deposits in the area and suggested the possible existence of timber-built features in the eastern half of the site. Phase 2: Four trial cuttings were opened between the 19th and 30th of June 1989. Excavation was carried out during this phase solely to determine the exact location of the town wall and thus enable the developer to design a pile layout giving adequate clearance of the wall.

Trench 1 lay at the northern end of the site, Trench 2 roughly mid-way along its length and the remaining trenches were excavated in the southern sector. The town wall was revealed in all 4 cuttings and survives almost to present-day street level along the northern half of the site (maximum exposed height 2.6m). Demolition work carried out c. 1960 may have removed an upstanding section of the wall. In the southern sector of the site later property walls sat on the reduced surface of the town wall.

The wall itself was built of unevenly-coursed limestone rubble, set in yellow sandy mortar. It was widest at the base, narrowing by means of shallow offsets on the interior face. Plinths now visible on the exterior face are probably the result of later reconstruction associated with Victorian cellars etc. Wall thickness varied from 2m (Trench 2) to over 3m (Trench 4). The foundations were exposed only in Trench 4 and sat on a mixed deposit of fill, which yielded a sherd of Dublin hand-built ware with incised decoration and a sherd of Ham Green ware with combed decoration. Current dating for the latter indicates a terminus post quem of c. 1300 for the construction of the wall.

A second medieval wall running north-east/south-west was uncovered in Trench 2 and abuts the interior face of the town wall. Both walls appear to be contemporary or near-contemporary. Wall 2 may represent a phase in the reclamation of this area for settlement, and appears to have gone out of use before the end of the medieval period. The deposits abutting the east face of the town wall were homogeneous throughout the site and consisted of silty fill which had accumulated between the 13th and the 16th centuries. The bulk of the pottery recovered is of local manufacture and can be readily paralleled with the material from Dublin Castle. Excavation along the exterior face of the wall was restricted to a depth of c.2.5m below present ground level. Post-medieval activity only was uncovered and the existence of an external fosse was not investigated.Excavation was funded by the developer.

2 Rathmore Lawn, South Douglas Road, Cork