1995:081 - DUBLIN: 17–21 Parliament St., Dublin

The site is located at the north-east side of Parliament St., Dublin (laid out 1757–62), bounded on the south by Essex St. East (laid out 1672–77). It lies to the south of the known location of the early Custom House, which was built in 1707 and replaced 84 years later. The site included an existing building with a deep cellar and a yard to the south, the ground level of which had been reduced by 2m. Thus the test-trenches were cut approximately at a level of 2m below existing street level.

Phase 1 walls
A series of hand-cut trenches was excavated within the cellar and yard. These revealed the very truncated remains of a stone structure located between 3.55m and 3.7m below street level. The walls, which were of uncut limestone bonded with a white crumbly mortar, were cut into a 17th-century loose friable organic layer, presumably associated with reclamation in the area. A south-west corner of the structure was the best surviving portion and it did not respect the line of Parliament St., suggesting that it was earlier in date. Two other sections of walls were very badly truncated.

A second phase of substantial walls, which overlay the Phase 1 walls, was also identified, at between 3m and 3.3m below street level. These walls probably relate to the building shown on John Rocque's map of Dublin (dated 1756).

The site was archaeologically monitored during construction and the new foundations did not penetrate as deep as the Phase 1 building. The complete ground-plan of that building was recovered and surveyed, indicating that there were two buildings, one fronting onto Essex St. East on the south and Parliament St. at the west, and the other fronting onto Parliament St. on the west. Both had parallel cross-walls, orientated north-south.

c/o Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd, Rath House, Ferndale Rd, Rathmichael, Co. Dublin