2006:643 - DUBLIN: 17–19 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin

This is a corner site fronting on to Sir John Rogerson’s Quay to the north and Lime Street to the east. Due to restrictions imposed by standing buildings, testing at the site was carried out in two phases: by William O. Frazer (see No. 641, Excavations 2006) and by Teresa Bolger (see No. 642, Excavations 2006). Both assessments produced indicators of an archaeological presence at the site most likely associated with post-medieval riverside activity. Due to the location of the site close to the tidal shore of the River Liffey and the requirement to excavate to c. 4m below ground level, the site was piled and bulk removal of soil commenced; both the piling and the bulk removal of soil was monitored.

Monitoring revealed extensive remains of post-medieval foundations supported on rafts of reused timbers, consequently full excavation ensued on 5–21 December 2006. Masonry foundations of one or possibly two structures of the late 17th/early 18th century were uncovered. The foundations stood c. 1m high and were supported on rafts of timbers set into redeposited estuarine sands. The timbers had been cut to specific lengths relative to the respective widths of the walls for which they were used. The timbers were a combination of reused ships’ timbers, timbers from a boatyard and possibly timbers from part of the 17th-century river revetments, precursors to the early 18th-century quay wall. Approximately 160 timbers were excavated from the site. The timbers have been examined by ships’ timbers’ specialists John Kearon and Damien Goodburn; samples have been taken for dendrochronological dating. Piling destroyed a considerable amount of the interior walls of the building/buildings; apart from redeposited estuarine sand stabilised by the use of extensive wood piles, little other stratigraphy was identified at the site.

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