County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: 27–31 Church Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 96E0209
Author: Linzi Simpson, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 714900m, N 734415m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.347466, -6.274309
The site lies on the north side of the River Liffey, in the medieval suburb of Oxmantown. It fronts onto the east side of Church Street and measures c. 55m east–west by 38m. Previous assessments by Dominic Delany (Excavations 1996, 79, 96E0209) and Helen Kehoe (Excavations 1998, 148, 96E0209 ext.) identified medieval and post-medieval deposits over a depth of 2.5m, which extended across the eastern half of the site just 0.65m (at 5.77m OD) below present ground level. This area was devoid of cellars, probably because it lay to the rear of the properties fronting onto Church Street (which was widened on the eastern side).
The medieval deposits averaged 1.1–1.2m deep at the western side of the site but were 2.4m deep in the eastern half. They consisted of garden soil, clays and silts containing animal bone and shell, as well as medieval pottery. The site forms part of a general pattern of this area that saw much of the medieval suburb occupied but in marginal use and probably divided into gardens and orchards, with some domestic habitation. The deposits of shell and animal bone suggested small-scale dumping of refuse in this area, and charcoal flecking may suggest the presence of hearths. The testing also suggested that there are some cesspits at the lower level.
2 Killiney View, 2 Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
