2005:528 - SANTRY: Santry Demesne, Dublin

The development site is the western portion of Santry Demesne, which was primarily open parkland with mature woodland. The monitoring was of the western portion of a 20ha commercial development consisting of offices, retail warehousing and enterprise starter units.

There is a long history to both the Santry Demesne and its environs. With the coming of the Normans, Hugh de Lacy granted the lands of Santry to his baron, Adam de Phepoe. He erected a church in the late 12th century, which was granted to the Abbey of St Mary’s in Dublin until the dissolution of monasteries in the 16th century. The Civil Survey (1654) mentions a dwelling house of stone with a barn and stable. Santry Court (SMR 14:30), located within the demesne, was built in 1703 on the site of an earlier medieval residence. Dublin Corporation acquired the house in the early 1930s, but it was destroyed by fire during the Second World War and was eventually demolished in 1959.

Monitoring of the mechanical removal of topsoil took place between July and September 2005 (Phase I). This led to the identification and excavation of two isolated pits and a probable garden feature. The first pit was oval in plan and measured 0.8m (north–south) by 0.5m. The cut was regular and deepest (0.1m depth) at the northern portion but was irregular and shallow on the southern portion. The pit had a single fill consisting of a grey clay with traces of ash and occasional pieces of charcoal. There was insufficient charcoal for a dating sample. No artefacts were discovered within the fill of the pit. The second pit was subcircular in plan and measured 0.42m (north–south) by 0.36m. The cut was shallow and gently sloping on the western and southern portion, but sharp and steep at the northern and eastern portion. The pit had a single fill consisting of a light-black clay with several pieces of wood charcoal. A probable garden feature was identified due to the discovery of a rectangular-shaped stone setting of red bricks set in mortar. The chamber was filled with a disturbed dry grey sand and contained several pieces of scrap wrought iron, primarily pipe, clay pipe and many pieces of clear window glass. A short length of clay pipe bore the inscription ‘Sloan & Co., Clay Works’. The chamber was constructed of red brick with a clay lining on the sides and base. The internal dimensions of the chamber were 0.9m (east–west) by 1.43m with a depth of 0.8m. The clay lining was 0.22m thick throughout. The second phase of monitoring for the eastern portion of the site commenced in late 2005 under the direction of Emer Dennehy.