2012:212 - Palace Street, Dublin, Dublin

A programme of monitoring was undertaken in May 2012 during Dublin City Council roadworks on Palace Street, Dublin 2. Palace Street is a short road leading from Dame Street at the north towards the main pedestrian entrance to Dublin Castle at the south. On the east side of the street is Dame Street AIB Branch (formerly Munster and Leinster Bank, 1870s) and on the west side is Chez Max café, the Sick and Indignant Society Protected Structure, and the recent modern office building at 3 Palace Street. Archaeologically, this is a very significant site with Dublin Castle immediately to the south, the medieval site of St Andrew’s Church to the east, and the late medieval Double Mills to the west. Recent excavations by Linzi Simpson at 3 Palace Street identified medieval deposits below the existing basement level (Excavations 2006, No. 636, 02E0244).

Historic limestone sets along the side of the existing road were recorded and retained by DCC but not reused in this location. Other historic street settings (notably granite/cast-iron coal-hole covers) were retained and reused.

The shallow depths of excavation required by the roadworks did not impact on any medieval archaeological material. The deepest part of the roadworks exposed the top of the eastern basement ceilings (dating c. 1770s based on the bricks and finds), the top of the Poddle culvert (same date probably), and the top of the bank building basements on the east side (probably a century later – c. mid-19^th century). These latter basements were damaged and were accessed. A small amount of post-medieval artefacts were identified in the construction fill of the 18^th-century phase of the Poddle culvert: North Devon wares of probable early 18^th-century date, one small fragment of a possibly earlier Dutch bowl (17^th century) and a fragment of a wooden water conduit (c. 1770s based on parallels at Newmarket and Timberyard).

Archaeology Plan, 32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2