2008:450 - Dublin Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin, Dublin

Monitoring took place of a programme (Phase 1) of refurbishment works carried out in the basement of the Dublin Civic Offices at Wood Quay. The basement contains an extant section of the medieval city wall of Dublin, which can be dated to the early 12th century. The wall was uncovered during the Wood Quay excavations by Patrick Wallace in the early 1980s and, while a section was removed during these works, a considerable stretch, measuring 19.3m in length by 3.5m in height, was retained in situ, mostly within a basement but with a section open to the elements at the western side. The demolished remains of the wall were also stored in this basement, in a series of mesh gabions. However, these were in a poor state as many had burst open. The current programme seeks to reinstate this important National Monument in a suitable setting, while converting the derelict and uninhabitable basement to a usable space, with access to the monument. A team of consultants was appointed by Dublin Civic Council and this included McCullough-Mulvin Architects, Carrig Conservation and Irish National Stone. The work was carried out for Dublin City Council between November 2007 and May 2008.
Phase 1 of the works has now been completed. The works involved clearing of detritus, biociding and growth of biological growth, removal of flaking render and dust, trimming of steel shims, replacing missing stones, raking out and repointing, repair of capping, temporary protection of the wall and removal of modern low retaining, to the east of the main space.
Reports generated during the programme included a conservation plan for the wall, a condition report, a topographical survey, a conservation methodology for the wall, a survey of the wall (all Carrig Conservation), a rectified photographic survey, a written survey and an impact statement for the works (all Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd).
The monitoring programme included monitoring of the physical clean of the monument and removal of debris; sorting through the medieval stonework in the gabions, sorting them by size and type, and transferring them to a long-term storage facility off site. This included an inspection to ensure that there was no medieval cut stone; consultation with the heritage authorities; a rectified photographic survey of both elevations and the generation of a written survey report.
The wall was digitally surveyed by Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd during the works and a report on this section of the wall was generated. However, it was incorporated within (in an independent section) a major report on the city walls, Measured Survey of the City Wall of Dublin: sections of the city at Lamb Alley, Power’s Square and Cook Street, Dublin city. Also includes a section at Wood Quay in the basement of Dublin Civic Office, by Linzi Simpson and Andrea Acinelli, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, submitted on 15 August 2008.
Phase 1 of the project has now been successfully completed and the wall is currently encased in a protective box structure, which will remain in position for the duration of the project.