County: Dublin Site name: 63a South Great Georges St, Dublin 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 15E0076
Author: Gill McLoughlin
Site type: no archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 715522m, N 733863m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.342370, -6.265176
Archaeological monitoring was carried out for O’Mahony Pike Architects on behalf of Rosebud Sports in relation to a gym development at 63a South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2 (Planning Ref. Dublin City Council 3507/14).
An archaeological excavation was carried out at this site in 2001 (Simpson, 2002) in relation to a previously permitted hotel development incorporating a basement (Rear 59-63 South Great Georges Street, Planning reference 3718/98). That permission lapsed and no further changes had taken place on the site since the end of the archaeological excavation. The current development involved the resumption of the former use of the site as a gym within existing buildings on the site (Planning reference 3507/14) and the previously permitted basement was excluded from the development.
An initial site visit was undertaken on the 9th January 2015 in advance of the preparation of the licence application and subsequent site visits were made on 20th August, 4th September and 6th November 2016 to inspect works. Based on the development plans, two areas of archaeological potential were identified as requiring archaeological monitoring; in a hallway area and a former swimming pool area. As a result of on-site changes to the construction methodology, no sub-surface works were undertaken during the course of the gym development and no previously unknown features or finds of archaeological significance were identified as a result of these works. Any soils removed from the site comprised spoil from previous excavations which had been re-deposited in the former swimming pool and squash court areas. Sub-surface walls exposed in an archaeological excavation in 2001 remain in situ beneath a suspended timber floor.
It is recommended that any future development on the site which involves groundworks should refer to the Simpson (2002) excavation report which details areas of archaeological potential which remain in situ.
Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy, Lynwood House, Ballinteer Road, Dublin 16
