2017:625 - Benburb Street, Dublin, Dublin

Testing here took place in March 2017. It was proposed that four trenches would be opened, however due to Health and Safety concerns with regard to depth of rubble and proximity of upstanding buildings, it was not possible to excavate the proposed trench in the south-east corner. In addition, the presence of a large mound of vegetation matter precluded the excavation of a second trench running perpendicular to the rear of the Benburb Street façade. However, it was possible to excavate two test trenches, one some 21m long, running north-south perpendicular to the line of Benburb Street and a second, a 10.5m long trench, running parallel to the northern limit of the site.
In Trench 1 natural undisturbed ground at the southern end of the trench was noted at a depth of 1.3m OD. It consisted of a yellow brown stony gravel clay loam. Some 9m from the south end, the depth at which the subsoil was noted decreased sharply to 2.8m OD. This variation in depth coincided with the cut for a feature defined in section by two walls, 5m apart, between which, at a depth of 2.9m OD, appeared to be a floor, defined by a series of large flat stones laid horizontally. This feature, defined by the two walls and floor was cut into deposits of dark yellow brown clay loam, which contained glass, red brick and ceramics all of which indicated a 19th-century date. These deposits at the south end of the trench were further cut by the line of a sewage pipe, which ran east-west across the cutting.
The trench was divided in two by the presence of a raft of thick concrete uncovered some 11.5m from the south end. To the north of the concrete, subsoil was noted at a consistent depth of 2.8m OD and was covered by layers of dark yellow brown clay loam, out of which glass, ceramics and red brick were recovered, suggesting a 19th- or 20th-century date for the deposits. The extreme northern end of the trench was disturbed by the insertion of a pipe, the date of which was most probably 20th century.
Nothing earlier than deposits of 19th-century date were uncovered in this trench.
Trench 2 was located running parallel to the northern limit of the site. It ran east from the northern extent of Trench 1 some 9.5m before stopping at a raft of thick concrete which meant that the excavation could not continue beyond this point. At the western end of the trench natural undisturbed subsoil was encountered at a depth of 2.8m OD. However at a distance of some 4.5m from the western end, this level dropped to 1.9m OD. This step down in levels corresponded with the remains of a wall incorporating red bricks, which would suggest a 19th-century date. The north-south line of this wall also corresponded with the projected line of the rear of the buildings fronting out onto Wood Lane. To the east of this wall the deposits consisted of dark yellow brown clay loams, with fragments of glass, ceramics and red brick, all of which suggested a date no earlier than the 19th century. The entire upper layers of the trench again consisted of dark yellow brown clay loams, which contained ceramics indicating a date in the 20th century.
Nothing earlier than deposits of 19th-century date were uncovered in this trench.

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