County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: Temple Bar Gallery, 9 Temple Bar/Fownes St. Lr.
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 93E0170
Author: Martin Reid
Site type: Quay
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 715623m, N 734239m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.345727, -6.263508
This was a narrow site measuring roughly 17m north-south and 4-6m wide. It was located 25m south of the modern river's edge on Wellington Quay. The development involved the excavation of all deposits to a depth of more than 5m below the level of the street in preparation for a modern basement.
Archaeological test pits had shown the presence of post-medieval deposits over the naturally occurring shale rock. The excavation licence was taken out for the "clearance of post-medieval material ... in advance of development". If any structural features such as river front walls or revetments were uncovered, provision was made to record them in advance of their removal.
The mechanical excavation of the site confirmed the original findings of the test pits. At the north end of the site, rock was found at c. 4m below ground level, while it was at c. 3m deep at the south end of the site. The sequence of deposits was the same at both ends of the site:
0m–2m: Loose rubble with a large quantity of clay pipes.
2m–2.5m: Light brown silty clay with lenses of sand and charcoal, and containing clay pipes, pottery and glass.
2.5m–3.1m: Dark brown, moderately compact clay silt, with more frequent pottery, clay pipes and leather.
3.1m–3.5m: Grey/black compact silt with pottery, clay pipesand leather.
3.5m–4m: Gravel with occasional water-worn fragments ofpottery and other finds.
4m: Rock.
32 Rathgar Ave., Dublin 6
