2014:490 - Nos 29-30 Fishamble Street, Dublin

An assessment was carried out in the yard of No. 29 Fishamble Street, which consisted of a single trench, on behalf of Dublin City Council. The site is located between Essex Street West and Exchange Street Lower, in a very archaeologically sensitive part of Dublin. Essex Street West reflects the line of the original Viking wall, which encompassed the early settlement in c.1100, replacing the primary 10th-century clay banks. Monitoring works by the writer at the western end of Essex Street West, in the centre of the road (associated with the Temple Bar West site, 96E0245) identified the wall, which marked the southern line of the river at this date. Reclamation north of the wall (and north of Essex Street West) began in the late 12th century after the Anglo-Normans conquered Dublin, after a decision was made to expand further north and to build a new city wall, which duly occurred, the line of which is marked by Exchange Street Lower. The reclamation was carried out by dumping in domestic waste, silts and clays north of the wall, which was then held in place using clays banks, timber fences, and revetments. The composition of this material is known as a section was excavated further east at Essex Street West where the reclamation deposits were found to be over 4m in depth (Simpson, Excavations 1994, 063). The upper 2m consisted of pure river silt, (presumably dredged from the Poddle river), while the lower 2m consisted of organic clays and silts, which were rich in artefacts and could be dated from the late 12th to the 13th century.

At Fishamble Street, the trench measured 2.3m square and was located 1.6m from the east boundary wall and 1m from the north, excavated by a combination of hand and machine to a depth of 1.7m. A total of six large pits were identified in the upper levels, filled with banded deposits of demolished brick, presumably the remains of No. 30, the terraced house to the north of No. 29. The testing extended as far as the top of the medieval reclamation deposits only and these were found to lie at 1.7m below present ground level. The assessment also located the remains of Nos 29 and 30 in the northern, southern and east standing boundary walls, with the remnants of the boundary wall between Nos 29 and 30 re-used in a lean-to structure, which occupied the site until relatively recently. These walls survive to first floor height.

The cellars of the buildings are intact in No. 29 and extend to at least 2.3m below present ground level but have been infiled with the demolished remains of the house. The assessment also established a deep layer of rubble, 1.7m in depth, at the rear of No. 30, lying outside the footprint of the house in an area previously a yard in the 18th century. This area was used for dumping in the 20th century and a series of rubbish pits were found.

Southern section

0 - 0.1m: Concrete screed

0.1 - 0.3m: Dark brown organic clay: this is a small pit (Pit 3) which is cut into the loose rubble deposits. It is 0.6m in depth and has sloping sides.

0.3 - 1.7m: Loose rubble infill deposit, composed of light beige mortar and orange half bricks, 18th century in date.

1.7m: Black/grey brown silty clay with no brick. This is likely to represent a medieval reclamation layer.

28 Cabinteely Close, Cabinteely, Dublin 18