County: Dublin Site name: TURVEY HOUSE, Turvey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 8:24 Licence number: 93E0179
Author: Declan Murtagh
Site type: House - 16th/17th century and Castle - tower house
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 720219m, N 750989m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.495161, -6.188146
Archaeological monitoring of the removal of demolition rubble at Turvey House, Donabate, was conducted by the writer on behalf of Archaeological Development Services Ltd. for F.L.C. Ireland Ltd., from 26th October to 10th December 1993.
The project revealed the upstanding remains of three phases of castle/house construction at the site:
1. A 15th-century Tower House with angle-tower and barrel vault over ground floor.
2. A late 16th-century house.
3. An early 18th-century Georgian mansion.
The garden level of Turvey House had withstood the demolition and preserved the outline of the building before its destruction. The upstanding walls averaged 2.2m in height.
Phase 1
This was the construction of a rectangular tower house, 11.5m (east-west) x 8m (north-south), with an angle tower at its north-west corner. There was a barrel vault over the ground floor, now collapsed due to the demolition process. Sections of the vault which remain in situ provide evidence of wickerwork centering. The thickness of the walls average 1.1m. Original features include a double garderobe chute, located in the north wall of the angle tower, and a splayed window embrasure.
Phase 2
The tower house was extended to the south by the addition of an L-shaped building. The walls of this structure average 1m in width. Fragments of four original windows remain in situ, one of which is the sill for a three-light window. A doorway and fireplace, both contemporary with the construction of the building, were also revealed. However, these were not in situ.
Phase 3
A further extension provided a new south-facing facade, which survived until the demolition of Turvey House in 1987. This new building incorporated the two earlier phases and construction included the blocking up of original windows as the symmetry of the early Georgian mansion was imposed on the remodelled structure. The ground at the front of the house was raised and a new doorway was inserted at the former location of the three-light window.
Clearance of rubble at the front of the house revealed fragments of the original 18th-century doorway, which was still intact prior to demolition. The pilasters, ionic capitals, segmented pediment and a section of the decorated tympanum were recovered.
Future work at Turvey is envisaged, dependent on the recommendations of planning permission.
34 St. David's Court, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3
