2006:623 - 3–15 Hammond Lane/161–168 Church Street, Dublin, Dublin

The second phase of excavation at 3–15 Hammond Lane/161–169 Church Street revealed evidence of late 11th- to 14th-century occupation in this part of Oxmantown on the northern bank of the Liffey (see Excavations 2005, No. 444, for report on the first season). The excavations revealed that, up to the late 11th century and the construction of St Michan’s Church, located 50m to the north of the site, the area was marshy marginal land and open fields. However, with the construction of a north–south-orientated clay bank in the early 12th century, the area came under increasing occupation. Two structures from this early activity were excavated, one of which appeared to be a sunken structure and the other a base for a tower or platform erected on the clay ditch.
By the late 12th century there was clear evidence for the subdivision of the land into five distinct property divisions, divisions that continued in use with some modifications up to the 14th century and through the change from post/wattle to stone construction. The division of the area into the five property plots was preceded by the introduction of soils to even out the ground levels. Hearths, storage pits, wells and evidence of metalworking, but only one, possibly two, structures, survived within the properties.
The change from post/wattle to stone construction occurred during the 13th century with the construction of the first stone building, boundary and garden walls. The property plots were consolidated and altered during this period. A large pottery assemblage was gathered across the site, ranging from Leinster cooking ware to the remains of a matching pair of Ham Green jugs.
Finally, the later 17th–20th-century basement structures were recorded. These walls are depicted on various maps, including John Speed’s map of 1610, right through to the first- and second-edition OS maps. The construction of these buildings caused considerable damage to the underlying archaeological deposits and in places they were completely or partially removed.
In summary, the results of this excavation illustrate the growing settlement of this area from the early part of the 12th century. Located beside Oxmantown Street, know as Church Street today and one of the main thoroughfares leading north out of the medieval city, the site revealed new evidence for the first stages of expansion of the city north of the Liffey.