2014:392 - Green, Westmoreland Street, Hawkins Street, Dublin, Dublin

Monitoring and recording were undertaken as part of the Luas Cross City (LCC) Utilities Works contract for the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA). The contract was designed to identify and record previously unrecorded sub-surface archaeological stratigraphy which will be impacted by the construction of LCC. A total of five licence areas, from St Stephen’s Green to Dominick Street, were provided for under the contract (Licence Nos. 14E0002–14E0006; 04E0405). Monitoring and recording undertaken from College Green to Hawkins Street was carried out under Licence No. 14E0003. College Green Utilities works consisting of trench and manhole excavations were carried out at College Green from the southern gate of Trinity College Dublin to the junctions of College Street and Westmoreland Street. Material identified during the works consisted of predominantly post-medieval structural remnants. However, the remains of up to five skeletons were noted at the base of a utilities trench directly outside the gates of Trinity College and the levels at which they were located suggests that they may be medieval. All will undergo radiocarbon dating as part of the post-excavation analysis to determine the dates of burial. A series of walls post-dating the burials were also present in this area, which are likely to be the footings of buildings and/or boundaries associated with Trinity College. A culvert was noted at the base of a trench in the traffic island to the east of the Trinity College gates; this is associated with post-medieval drainage works. College Street Utilities works extended the entire length of College Street on the south-eastern side of the road. No formal features were identified from these trenches, however the stratigraphy showed the gradual deposition of post-medieval and modern deposits. Westmoreland Street Utilities works were carried out along the entire length of Westmoreland Street on both east and west sides of the road. Material identified during the excavations appears to be post-medieval in date, both pre-dating and post-dating the construction of Westmoreland Street in the 19th century. A series of cobbled surfaces, the remains of five red-brick cellar arches and a series of red-brick and limestone walls were noted. The cellars were located to the east of the Bank of Ireland and at both eastern and western junctions of Westmoreland Street and Fleet Street. They were associated with Georgian buildings, some of which are still extant. The cobbled surfaces are likely to have represented earlier forms of the Westmoreland Street surface and were situated in trenches on the east and west side of the modern street. Walls were present in the manhole at People’s Island in the northern end of Westmoreland Street and at the junction of Westmoreland Street and Fleet Street and some are likely to have pre-dated the modern street. In addition, a number of shallow deposits were recorded at various locations along the street. Hawkins Street Utilities works were carried out along both sides of Hawkins Street, as well as at Stein Island at the junction of Hawkins Street and College Street. Structural remnants identified during the works appear to be post-medieval in date. The features were predominantly associated with the remains of buildings, including a series of walls, the remains of two cellars, two culverts and three cobbled surfaces. The substantial remains of the 19th-century Theatre Royal were noted at the junction of Hawkins Street and Poolbeg Street. They comprised thick limestone walls and it is likely that these are associated with the original construction of the theatre which was destroyed by fire in 1880. Monitoring of utilities works along this section of the LCC route under Licence 14E0405 was due to conclude in 2015.

Nikolah Gilligan, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd, Unit 2, Europa Enterprise Park, Midleton, Co. Cork on behalf of Archaeology and Built Heritage.