2014:147 - St Teresa's Gardens, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8, Dublin

Three engineering test-pits were monitored in June 2014. The site lies to the south-west of Donore Avenue, from which it is accessed, and 100-120m to the south-east of Cork Street/Dolphin’s Barn Street. It is currently occupied by the 1950's residential development of St Teresa’s Gardens, now mostly boarded up and awaiting regeneration.

Potential medieval or late medieval/early post-medieval deposits were found at a depth of 0.6m below the original ground level in two of the test-pits. These took the form of thick layers of sterile water-deposited silts, which may be natural in origin, overlain by a thick cultural layer of soil containing shell. These are likely to form part of a medieval watercourse (DU018-043004) which extends through the site. The deposits, and the edges of the deposits, are comparable to those identified by Franc Myles (Excavations Ref. 2004:509; 03E0315) at 24-26 Ardee Street along a different medieval watercourse: the Commons Water.

The natural subsoil in Test Pit 1 sloped down southwards towards the location of the medieval Abbey Stream watercourse. The layer of water-deposited silt was also thickest towards the medieval watercourse, and it is likely that this represents a silted-up channel of this watercourse in this part of the site. In Test Pit 2 the layer of water-deposited silt was of even thickness and showed no sloping. It is situated at some distance from the Abbey Stream watercourse, however it is located close to another watercourse known as the Tenter Water. Although no datable material was found in either silt deposit, historical records of the watercourses provide possible dates for the deposits.

The Abbey Stream or Abbey Millstream (later ‘Earl of Meath’s Watercourse’) was an artificial branch of the Poddle build in the medieval period to divert water through the Liberty of St Thomas' Abbey, the later Liberty of Donore (Jackson 1959, 34; Ronan 1927, 40-44; Simpson 1997, 23). The date of the construction of the Abbey Stream is uncertain, with Jackson (1959, 39) suggesting an early 13th-century date, Ronan (1927, 42) later, and Simpson (1997, 24) suggesting between 1178 and 1185.

Although initially under the control of the Abbey, the works on the Dodder and primary control of the watercourses passed to the city at some point in the 15th century (Jackson 1959, 40). During the 17th century, much of the course of the Abbey Stream was culverted, as it had become increasingly polluted in built-up areas (Simpson
1997, 32) and remnants of this brick culvert were uncovered during excavations at Cork Street/Emerald Square (Hayden, Excavations Ref. 2001:372, 01E614). It seems likely that such culverting was confined to the more urban districts, and map evidence suggests that the watercourse remained open in more open areas. In the 19th century portions of the culvert collapsed during flood conditions and in the 20th century it was eventually encased in a concrete pipe over much of its course (Simpson 1997, 33; Hayden Excavations Ref. 2002:531, 93E066). Thus the Abbey Stream deposit (C6 in TP1) should be dated to after 1178, probably significantly later. The deposit sealing it (C5) contained a single sherd of mottled ware (c. 1700) at the top suggesting that this channel of the Abbey Stream was silted up by the 18th century at the latest.

The second watercourse around the site, and the one near Test Trench 2, is the Tenter Water. Although Ronan identified this as an artificial watercourse drawn off the Abbey Stream (Ronan 1927, 44), Sweeney (1991, 37) identifies it as the continuation of a natural stream that rises in the higher ground close to Hangman’s Lane/Dark Lane (now Sundrive Road). From here the Hangman’s Stream flows north-eastwards to meet the original Poddle at New Row. The natural course of the Hangman’s Stream was interrupted by the course of the Abbey Stream at the south-eastern limits of the present St Teresa’s Gardens. To counteract this, and possibly to increase water supply to the Double Mills near Warrenmount, a channel was diverted north-eastwards off the Abbey Stream just downstream of the confluence with the Hangman’s Stream, operated by a sluice known locally in more recent times as ‘Roaring Meg’ (ibid.) The diverted channel continued north-eastwards to Donore Avenue, where it turned southwards before turning eastwards and continuing along the original streamcourse to Warrenmount, albeit in a canalised channel. This latter part of the watercourse was known at the Tenter Water, as its course carried it through the Tenter Fields to the south of Brown Street and Chamber Street (ibid.) Although a natural stream, the depiction of the Hangman’s Stream on Wilson’s map of 1798 suggests some straightening of the course may have occurred upstream of its convergence with the Abbey Stream, although this cannot be certain. Two further channels were diverted from the Abbey Stream, probably in the 18th century, to power a mill.

The small size of the engineering test-pits means that it was not possible to establish the nature of the silt deposits in Test-Pit 2, however the similarity to the medieval deposit and overall stratigraphy in Test-Pit 1 suggests that the deposit in Test-Pit 2 represents a medieval channel running in the vicinity of the 18th-century diverted Tenter Water channel, or else an area of flooding associated with the Hangman's Stream. An earlier medieval channel at this location is not surprising considering the history of the area.

Refs.
Jackson, V. 1959 The Inception of the Dodder Water Supply, Dublin Historical Record Vol. 15 (2) pp.55-68.
Ronan, M.V. 1927 The Poddle River and its Branches. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series, Vol. 17 (1) pp.39- 44.
Simpson, L. 1997 Historical Background to the Patrick Street Excavation in C. Walsh Archaeological Excavations at Patrick, Nicholas & Winetavern Streets, Dublin. Dingle; Brandon pp.17-33
Sweeney, C.L. 1991 The Rivers of Dublin Dublin; Dublin Corporation

Archaeology Plan, 32 Fitzwilliam Place Dublin 2