County: Dublin Site name: 56 Ailesbury Road, Simmonscourt, Dublin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A. Licence number: 14E0082
Author: Judith Carroll
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 718086m, N 731434m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.319985, -6.227596
Groundwork relating to the construction of a detached two-storey house at 56 Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4, was monitored between 2 and 21 July 2014. The development site is within the medieval townland of Simmonscourt, although shown to be on a green field site without features on the 1st-edition OS map of 1837–43. The site is located 400m south of Simmonscourt Castle (DU018-06301) and 100m to the north-north-west of a Viking cemetery (DU022-084). The road and houses along it were originally developed in the later part of the 19th century and continued during the early years of the 20th.
The development was to consist of the demolition of the existing detached dwelling, including demolition of associated garage and sheds, and construction of a new two-storey detached dwelling. Works also included the widening of the existing gateway and demolition of existing piers as well as further ground reduction and landscaping works.
The upstanding structures were all demolished and foundations also broken and removed. The footprint of the new dwelling was levelled and foundation trenches were cut using a tracked mechanical digger.
Several finds of glass and ceramic, including clay pipe stem fragments were discovered in the topsoil. No features were visible in the natural sandy subsoil layer and no other finds were discovered.
Ballybrack Road, Glencullen, Dublin 18.
