2003:500 - DUBLIN: 43–45 Bolton Street, 17 and 17a Henrietta Street and 10 Henrietta Place, Dublin

The offices, storage rooms and yard space of an upholstery business were to be completely redeveloped as apartments and retail shop units with underground parking. The digging of a number of trial-trenches was carried out on the premises as part of an assessment in advance of demolition and construction work. The site was formerly occupied by terraced housing of 18th/19th-century date, demolished in the first half of the 20th century. These dwellings fronted onto Bolton Street, Henrietta Street and Henrietta Place. Behind these buildings stood smaller extensions, outbuildings or open yard areas. It was conventional for terraced dwellings of this type dating from the Georgian period to be built over basements, the insertion of which would involve digging well below the contemporary ground level, thereby obliterating any material that might be of archaeological interest.

Cuttings 1–3 were dug in the existing basement below the Bolton Street frontage. These were excavated to the surface of the natural grey-brown gravel. There were no features or deposits of archaeological interest. The remaining cuttings were dug at ground-floor level within the premises. Rubble cellar infill and some in situ brick-built cellar fabric were found in Cuttings 4 and 9. A concrete surface was revealed at the south-western corner of Cutting 4, below which was a very thick layer of disturbed material. A similar concrete floor was uncovered along the full length of Cutting 5; excavation below this surface revealed some 19th-century structural fabric and two large ceramic pipes of more recent date. A fragment of clay-pipe stem was found at the south-eastern end of this cutting. More of the concrete flooring was exposed at the north-western end of Cutting 8, below which was a very thick deposit of backfilled clay, red brick and mortar. Cuttings 6 and 7 produced only bulk modern backfill.

13 Anglesea Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2