2014:481 - Shanganagh castle at Beechlands and Barn Close, Shanganagh Road, Dublin 18, Dublin

The large site, measuring 1.6ha, encompasses two semi-detached period houses and their grounds. Beechlands is on the western side and contains the ruins of Shangangh castle while Barn Close is the adjoining property to the east, with road frontage onto Shanganagh Road (R119). The houses were built in the late Georgian period (before 1810) and are Protected Structures (Beechlands no. 1785 and Barn Close, no. 1784). They are set within grounds of mature trees and shrubbery to the front (north) with enclosed gardens to the south. The castle ruin is located in the north-west corner of the development site and consists of the north-western corner of a square tower, standing to full height but with nothing left of the southern or eastern walls. Although now difficult to see, the castle originally commanded a high ridge along the southern bank of the Shanganagh valley, looking down on the Shanganagh river itself and commanded the main route or highway throughout the Middle Ages, now the Dublin Road. It was painted by Gabriel Beranger in c. 1760 and later by William Westall in 1810. The castle was probably built by the Lawlesses in the early 15th century on lands that they leased from St Patrick’s cathedral in Dublin. It formed part of a network of similar fortresses/defended residences in South Dublin/North Wicklow area, which were ringed around the medieval port of Dublin, protecting it and its fertile hinterland from the rebellious Irish in the Leinster mountains. By the mid 15th century it was in the hands (through marriage) of the prominent Walsh family whose main fortress was further north at Carrickmines. The castle rapidly expanded and by the 17th century the sources refer to a hall which was thatched, according to the Civil Survey, although it is not known when it was built. The exact location of the hall is not known and the sources are slightly ambiguous but it is likely to have been either attached to the castle or somewhere very close by. The castle was reputedly destroyed by fire in 1763 (or 1783) but was taken off the Walshes after the Cromwellian wars when it may have been damaged. This was suggested by the depiction by Beranger in c. 1760 suggesting that only the two walls were standing even then, a classic sign of destruction in the 17th century (note the windows appear to show open space). Curiously, if this does represent just the two standing north and west walls, with the ridge falling away to the north, the doorway in the west wall is not shown although it may be obscured by a boundary wall. The castle was painted again in 1810 by William Westall when it is shown as very intact with four walls, which is puzzling but which may suggest it was rebuilt (the crenellations missing from the new walls). A doorway is in the south wall in this depiction. By 1864, however, the south, east and part of the north wall was gone.

Shanganagh castle was a tall two-storey tower-house built of roughly-hewn pink granite and sited on a large square mound. Unusually, it had a barrel vault at ground floor level, suggesting it was originally a defensive tower, confirmed by narrow slit windows at ground floor level. In the interior, it has two large window embrasures in the west wall, which have been mistaken in the past for fireplaces but are probably later insertions. The north wall also had a window embrasure at ground floor level, the western jamb of which still survives in situ. An entrance survives in the west wall at ground floor level where half the arched ope survives although it is not clear if this is the original doorway. The first floor represented the main residential chamber and was lit by large rectangular windows, which have been widened in the 17th and 18th century by the addition of brick jamb. One hunk of fallen masonry can be identified in the south-east corner of the mound, obscured by vegetation.

The assessment

The assessment was carried out in September 2014 and consisted of 30 test-trenches excavated by mechanical excavator throughout the site, in seven main areas. A survey of the castle was not carried out at this time and parts of it were heavily obscured by vegetation. It should be noted that the testing was relatively limited in the outer extremities of the site, constrained by mature trees and shrubbery to both the front and rear gardens of both properties, and by the various services throughout the grounds, which had to be avoided. Thus, it was not possible to test every location especially at the northern end of the Beechlands property. The initial testing was concentrated around the castle and this established that there are very limited deposits in this area, contrary to its location within and adjacent to the castle. While the testing did reveal dumps of rubble from within the interior of the castle and on the east side of the castle mound, these were very limited in depth (0.4m) suggesting that the fallen masonry was presumably plundered and taken away for re-use in other buildings.

The evidence suggests a general scarping of the deposits in this location, possibly during landscaping works associated with Beechlands. This landscaping appears to have been very extensive extending as far south as the lawn area to the front and rear of the house and the eastern half of the West Yard.

Several specific areas were targeted as part of the testing programme. The sources suggest there was a boundary wall, which originally bordered the castle on the west and extended as far south as the West Yard of Beechalnds, linking the castle and the house directly. An inspection of the area established that there was a concentration of loose stone in the vegetation along the alignment of the wall, possibly associated with it. The trenches put across the line of the wall, however, found only a loose deposit of stone with no evidence of any solid foundation or faced wall, as one might expect.

The exact location of the hall is also not known. The 17th-century sources suggest that it might have been ‘nearby’ the castle rather than attached but the depiction by Rocque in his map of the suburbs 1760 and the Beranger depiction, c. 1760 may suggest that it was attached on the southern side. The Beranger depiction also shows a distinct flashing or roof scar on the western side.

Testing in this location, south of the castle, however, did not locate any structural remains of the hall or associated deposits but this is not conclusive as the soil coverage was found to be limited, also suggesting general scarping in this area. There has also been speculation that the hall was incorporated within the late Georgian houses. Although the house was not inspected as part of these works, it should be noted that there is a large fireplace at the western end of the Beechlands house, which, by its size, may have earlier origins, along with a fine stone floor in the kitchen.

Testing along the western side (T. 4), the site of a possible second ancillary building against the castle wall, also produced no evidence of any structures but this area also appears to have been reduced as part of the general scarping.

Beechlands: Front Garden

No archaeological deposits were found in the front lawn of Beechlands and there was no evidence of any previous avenues or access routes leading to the castle, the boulder clay lying close to the surface of present ground level. Less testing took place within the deep shrubbery and in and around the mature trees to the north-east but the general soil depth was established, suggesting boulder clay also lies close to the surface in this location at less than 0.6m in depth from present ground level.

The West Yard

The West Yard is an original feature attached to the Beechlands property, probably built by 1810, but the western half is an extension added on after 1836. The testing suggests that only a loose rubble foundation survives of the original western boundary, which was attached to the castle and extended through the middle of the yard, orientated roughly north-south. However, this wall alignment appears to delineate archaeological soils to the west. These soils escaped the general scarping but are low-grade archaeological soils, containing occasional cockle shell and animal bone but little else. They measure approximately 0.9m in depth. The existing boundary walls could also not be examined in any great detail due to vegetation, especially those at the western side of the house. Of specific interest is the western boundary wall, which adjoined the castle and curved around to form the original west wall of the West Yard, linking the castle and the house.

Barn Close

The testing within the Barn Close property to the east of Beechlands did not locate any archaeological features or produce evidence of enclosing elements or features that could be associated with the castle. In the rear garden, the testing did find clays containing Early Modern ceramic material but these are possibly infill layers, most likely to the associated with the creation of pleasure gardens in the mid 19th century.

Conclusions

Shanganagh castle is an important castle in south county Dublin, which gives its name to a large section of modern Shankill, from the Dublin Road as far east as the sea. In the 17th century the castle was one of the major residences of the area, occupied by the influential Walsh family who controlled the rich and fertile lands along the Shanganagh river valley. At the core of the property was the castle itself, a small but strong defensive castle, which had been adapted for residential living by the insertion of larger windows at first floor level in the 17th and 18th centuries. The house was also expanded by the addition of a hall, probably in the early 17th century and the entire complex was set within ornamental gardens and avenues, complete with orchards and an ash grove, all indications of a wealthy residence.

The test-assessment did not find any evidence of enclosing features associated with the castle, such as ditches or ancillary enclosures, and there was no surviving evidence of any castle bawn (courtyard) or yard. In general, the area around the castle appeared to have been scarped or reduced with only limited deposits surviving within the interior of the castle itself. This general scarping extended as far as the Beechlands house and front lawns, where the natural ground level lies very close to the surface, averaging 0.3m below present ground level.

28 Cabinteely Close, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18.