2016:714 - St Patrick's Cathedral and 35A Kevin Street, Dublin 8., Dublin

St Patrick’s Cathedral (DU018 020269: Protected Structure 6443, 6444) has been undergoing a phase of refurbishment and renewal since 2003, which has included several large-scale projects such as the re-pointing the Minot Tower, the replacement of the antiquated heating system, the repair and replacement of numerous services and the installation of flood lights around the Cathedral. As part of this project, three main phases of works are proposed:
1) the installation of an external temporary W.C. outside the Cathedral in the western sunken precinct at the base of the Minot Tower. The new W.C. will be tied into the existing services which run along the western side of the Cathedral under the 19th-century paving slabs.
2) the lifting of some of the medieval tiles that were re-laid in the Baptistry in the Cathedral in the 19th century but are now causing a problem as the floor is bulging up at the eastern end, obstructing the railing that closes off the Baptistry. The bulging is damaging both the railings and the tiles. The proposal is to lift the affected tiles in an area under the railings, investigate what is causing the bulge (thought to be an expanding iron beam) and replace the tiles when the problem is sorted out. The works will also include a general conservation programme for the other tiles which will involve cleaning, removing the hard cementatious mortar that has been applied along with the removal of algae bloom that has appeared on one side. A Conservation Report was commissioned and completed by Humphries and Jones, Sculpture and Conservation, in April 2016 and a Method Statement has been produced by John Beauchamp, Cathedral Architect of Benjamin and Beauchamp Architects. This has been submitted to the Conservation Department of Dublin City Council. The removal and relaying of the tiles will be done under best conservation and archaeological practice.
3) the roof of the Cathedral is leaking causing significant damage and the proposal is to replace the roof slates in their entirety in what is the biggest re-roofing project since 1865. Internally, the plan is to examine the timber joists and strengthen them where necessary. As an investigation in 2007 found medieval roof timbers dating to the medieval and Early Modern Period, an archaeological monitoring brief is proposed for these works in an effort to identify additional medieval timbers and perhaps also obtain dates for them. In the previous campaign in 2007 the six samples were taken and dated by Queen’s University, Belfast. There are also works planned for the roof. These include a re-configuration of the existing internal walk-ways, upgrading the fire-protection works within the roof voids and repointing the parapets, along with various masonry repairs.

The works
As part of the works, in advance of the construction of the temporary lavatory, an exploratory a trench was excavated by hand outside the main western door of the Cathedral, in the flagged yard where the flags had previously been lifted as part of a programme to upgrade services in this area. The pit measured 1.2m square and was excavated to 0.6m in depth where the wall of the Cathedral beneath the western door was exposed. Only the core was exposed and this was composed of limestone block in a typical medieval build; it had clearly been damaged by previous services laid in this location. The blocks measured roughly 0.6m in diameter and were mortared with a very distinctive bright orange lime mortar. Excavation was halted at this point. The next phase of works will continue into 2017.

Additional works at 35A Kevin Street
An external test-pit was excavated on the north-west corner of the buildings. This measured 1.3m east-west by 0.85m wide and extended to 0.4m in depth.
Profile
0 – 0.13m: Concrete and fill
0.13 – 0.23m: Dark brown humic soil
0.23 – 0.4m Dark brown soil but mixed with slate, fragments of bone, fragments of dark orange brick. Other inclusions include charcoal and mortar but little modern pottery.

28 Cabinteely Close, Cabinteely, D.18