County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: 8–10 Exchange Street Upper/1 Essex Gate
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0198
Author: Georgina Scally
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 714626m, N 734426m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.347624, -6.278418
The site lies at the north-east corner of the Viking town along the west bank of the River Poddle, close to its confluence with the River Liffey. In the modern town the site lies behind the Turk's Head pub (No. 27 Parliament Street) and extends as far west and north as the Exchange Street and Essex Gate street frontages respectively.
In early summer 1998 excavation of an area c. 20m east-west x 6m max. north-south, was carried out over a period of twelve weeks. The site was previously tested and partially excavated under Licence No. 96E040 (Excavations 1996, 23–4; Excavations 1997, 43).
A 3m-long north-south stretch of an earthen bank was uncovered. The bank, constructed on natural gravel deposits, was supported on its internal face by a post-and-wattle fence. Although no 14C analysis has yet been undertaken, the bank is thought to be 10th century in date. A number of substantial postholes and several stake-holes were the only surviving evidence of contemporary (or possibly earlier) structural activity on the site.
Part of a substantial stone pathway crossed the site and sealed the earlier activity. The pathway was relaid at least twice and appeared to have been in use for a considerable period. On either side of the path the deposits indicated that this was an area of open ground used predominantly for localised industrial purposes; hearths, ash spreads, shell middens and a complex accumulation of clay- and stone-working surfaces were exposed.
The finds assemblage suggests that the deposits ranged in date from the 10th to the 12th century. A selection of bone/antler, copper-alloy, iron (mainly nails) and stone finds (including flint flakes and nodules), amber and wooden objects was recovered. A range of 12th/13th-century pottery fragments was uncovered at the uppermost level, together with some pits of 16th/17th-century date. The surface deposits had been truncated by insertion of basements in the 18th century.
Outside the main area of excavation, an 8m-long north-south stretch of the Viking (c. AD 1120) town wall was identified beneath the existing party wall between No. 1 Essex Gate and No. 27 Parliament Street. (In Excavations 1996 this wall was reported to be the 13th-century wall.) Abutting its external (eastern) face, the internal face of the later 13th-century wall was identified.
c/o 81 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4
