County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: College Green, Trinity College
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0150
Author: Linzi Simpson, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Habitation site, Industrial site and Pier/Jetty
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 716037m, N 734115m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.344523, -6.257340
Monitoring took place of the laying of a new heating system at the western (front) end of Trinity College in July and August 2002. The pipe-trench extended from West Chapel westward (through the Chief Stewart’s garden), exiting through the precinct wall before connecting into House No. 7. The pipe then continued across the front lawn before tying into the basement of House No. 5.
The trench measured on average 1.1m wide and 0.8–1.2m deep and provided considerable information on development directly north and west of Parliament Square in the post-medieval period. The excavation revealed that there was intense domestic habitation in the area in the late 17th century, in the form of brick houses built almost against the front (west) façade of the college by Flemish and Dutch refugees. At least one of these properties was involved in the clay-pipe manufacturing business. These buildings were subsequently demolished, and the rubble was used to build up the ground level around the front of the college.
The remains of a substantial limestone wall were found on the northern side of the western range (in the Chief Stewart’s garden), following the orientation of College Street, and this may originally have been associated with the outer precinct of the college in the late 17th century. This wall was demolished in the first half of the 18th century, when the area was redeveloped as a domestic and industrial quarter. Rocque’s map of Dublin, dated 1756, depicts a yard called ‘Saddler’s yard’ in this area, with direct access to College Street. At least one limestone-and-brick wall foundation found during the excavation may be related to this complex of buildings.
The small, semicircular area outside Front Gate was cobbled at least twice on the northern side, and the remains of an 18th-century stone pier base that had reused worked stoneware were found. Also of note was a large spread of sandstone fragments at the southern end of the trench, which are probably the remnants of the dressed sandstone used in the front façade of the college in the late 1750s.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
