2012:200 - CHURCH STREET DISTRICT METERED AREA (DC000142), DUBLIN, Dublin

Monitoring of ground works associated with the Church Street DMA as part of the Dublin Region Watermain Rehabilitation Project was carried out intermittently between Jan and April 2012. The works involved open cut within the entire DMA, including within the vicinity of the water course site (DU018-020566) at the junction of Halston Street and Ball’s Lane, the glass house site (DU018-020150) at the junction of Halston Street and Mary’s Lane and in the vicinity of the market place site (DU018-020379) on Mary’s Lane between the Little Green’s Street and Halston Street junction.

The process of rehabilitation involved either the exposure of the existing water main or the excavation of a new trench for a new lay (pipe). The trenches typically measured approximately 0.6m wide and ranged from 0.6m to 1.2m deep. In some cases, a larger area was opened to fully expose the junction between a number of water mains.

Following the removal of the tarmac surface and underlying hardcore, a series of post-medieval deposits were exposed, typically containing building waste and generally cut by a large number of both active and obsolete service pipes and ducts. Undisturbed subsoil was not uncovered in any of the trenches.

Only one stretch of trench contained intact structural remains. This consisted of two courses of cut stone and red brick, cut through by modern services, extending westwards from the north-west corner of the Fyffe’s warehouse fronting onto Cuckoo Lane. Flush with the base of these remains, at a depth of 0.55–0.6m below present ground level, was a concrete surface, a former footpath.

The structural remains were clearly modern in date and were part of the original footings of the western side of the warehouse building.

Archaeological Development Services, Unit 4, 1st Floor, The Print House, Cumberland Street South, Dublin 2