2014:162 - ORWELL PARK, DUBLIN, Dublin

Monitoring took place of proposed ground works at Orwell Park, forming part of St Joseph’s Retirement and Residential Centre at Nos 47-53 Orwell Park and Dartry House, Dublin 6. These ground works will consist of the construction of 16 two-storey dwellings and associated site works including drainage and other services.

The site is located at the corner of Orwell Park and Orwell Woods, Dublin 6. It consists of an early 19^th-century house, stables and an ornamental garden (Dartry House, Record of Protected Structures No. 6249). There are two adjoining modern single-storey extensions and lawns to the north and west and one freestanding single-storey 1960s building in the centre. It is bounded by Orwell Park road to the north, a housing estate at Orwell Woods to the east, a newly developed residential building and existing semi-detached housing to the west and Dartry Park to the south. The sloped area between the ornamental garden and Dartry Park is heavily overgrown and contains a number of listed trees. A millrace and a mill pond (DU022-09601 and DU022-09602) lie to the south of Dartry House.

An archaeological site assessment, related to an earlier planning application on the site, was carried out in September 2005 at the request of the Dublin City Archaeologist and was revised in October 2007. A site inspection was undertaken on 20 September 2005 and, following a request for further information from the Dublin City Archaeologist, a further inspection was made 10 May 2006. This inspection assessed the nature of a circular feature in the mill race, identified during the 2005 site inspection. Subsequently, on 1 April 2009, a survey of the mill race was also carried out and an architectural survey of Dartry House and its associated out-buildings was carried out by a Historic Buildings Consultant and submitted to the DCC.

The initial phase of monitoring took place between 4 and 17 November 2012. The area of ground reduced consisted of an area at the northern limit of the site measuring approximately 70m east-west by 35m. A secondary phase took place intermittently between 19 November 2013 and 17 February 2014. The area of ground reduced during this second phase of monitoring consisted of the area immediately south of the Phase 1 construction, including the clearance of the temporary access road stone deposits. This second area measured approximately 70m east-west by 50m.

No features or deposits of certain archaeological significance were identified during either phase of ground works. The initial phase of monitoring uncovered a sherd of Sgraffito pottery (of probable 17^th-century date) and drainage features below the post-medieval layer, which points to the exploitation of the site in the earlier part of the post-medieval period. This second phase of monitoring recorded the presence of horn core fragments in a modern redeposit, which suggests that the processing of animal by-products may have been carried out somewhere in the vicinity in the pre-modern period.

Archaeological Development Services Ltd, 96 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HE