1999:189 - DUBLIN: College Street/Fleet Street/Westmoreland Street, Dublin

Monitoring of this large site commenced in November 1998, with full archaeological excavation taking place during the early part of 1999. The finding, during the 1860s, of a tiled medieval pavement, possibly in situ, underneath the present AIB bank, which fronts onto College Street, indicated that this large site may house an important ecclesiastical foundation (J. Carroll, Excavations 1997, 38). The proximity of the site to Trinity College (itself the location of a medieval ecclesiastical foundation), the site of the Viking stone at the junction of D'Olier Street and Townsend Street, and the River Liffey, suggested that archaeological remains may be found.

Monitoring of the site, which measured 1500m2, and the archaeological excavations revealed that the site had been reclaimed in the 17th century and lay on a deep gravel bank. The western side of the site, fronting onto Westmoreland Street, revealed a channel of what may have been the River Steine or a tributary of this river, now culverted. Several large wooden stakes, including one fine piece of oak timber, squared and with dowels and a mortice-and-tenon joint, were found to the east of the riverbank. These wooden stakes were embedded in the gravel bank, suggesting that they may have been used as mooring posts when the River Steine flowed through the site and when the area would have frequently been flooded by the River Liffey, which in the medieval period ran along the present Fleet Street, before the reclamation of the land.

A row of seven structures dating from the 18th century was revealed, fronting onto Westmoreland Street. These houses had been erected at the time of the Wide Streets Commission. The partial remains of several structures fronting onto College Street and Fleet Street were also revealed. These also dated to the 18th century. Several wells and ice pits were revealed to the rear of the houses. One rather enigmatic feature, a large circular brick structure measuring 2m east-west by 3m, with a height of 6m, was revealed to the rear of one of these houses. The bricks of this structure exhibited a considerable amount of calcium carbonate residue, indicating that it may have been used to hold water.

At the northern end of the site, fronting onto Fleet Street, a square wooden trough was revealed. This box, 0.88m x 0.88m with a depth of 0.4m, contained a quantity of fabric; it was deliberately placed within a cut in the river silt and held in place by small stakes. The box was sealed by a green marl, making it somewhat waterproof.

Most of the artefacts and finds date from the post-medieval period, with a high concentration of post-medieval pottery, leather scraps and what appear to be dress-making pins. However, a small quantity of medieval finds were retrieved, concentrated mainly in the southern portion of the site. A fine late medieval spoon, a rowel spur and two merchant's tokens dating from the 1600s were recovered. A small quantity of medieval pottery including some fragments of line-impressed floor tiles was also discovered in the southern portion of the site. The eastern portion of the site had housed the College Street Divisional Police Office during the 19th century, which extended the width of the site onto Fleet Street. A very fine granite lintel bearing the word 'POLICE' was recovered from this portion of the site.

There was no evidence of any structures before the 18th century, although two fine brick culverts, one found below a structure that fronted onto Fleet Street and one found during test-trenching under the bank, may date to the earlier part of the 18th century. Further work will take place during 2000 under the AIB bank.

Pine Forest Art Centre, Pine Forest Road, Glencullen, Co. Dublin, and 13 Anglesea Street, Dublin 2