2019:191 - Francis Street & Hanover Lane, Dublin 8, Dublin

Monitoring of geotechnical slit trench excavations was undertaken from 10 to 28 May 2019, in respect of the Francis Street Improvement Scheme, a programme of street improvement works being undertaken by Dublin City Council on Francis Street, Hanover Lane and Dean Street in Dublin city.

Francis Street, with Saint Augustine Street, forms the western boundary of Dublin city's medieval core, south of the River Liffey, and is situated within the Zone of Archaeological Potential for Dublin City (DU018-020). 19 recorded archaeological sites are situated within 30m of the Scheme. Francis Street also forms part of the Thomas Street and environs Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). The Dublin City Development Plan 2016-2022 lists 16 protected structures within a 30m radius of the Scheme, the majority falling within the Thomas Street ACA. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage lists 25 structures of architectural merit with a 30m radius of the Scheme.

No recorded archaeological site is directly impacted upon by the Scheme. No protected structures, or architectural features in the curtilage of protected structures, are directly impacted upon by the Scheme.

A total of 11 geotechnical slit trenches (labelled ST-01 to ST-12; planned slit trench ST-09 was not excavated) were machine-excavated across Francis Street and Hanover Lane. The geotechnical slit trenches functioned as archaeological test excavations to identify the impact of development on potential sub-surface archaeological remains. The trenches were excavated with a mechanical digger utilising a 0.3m-wide flat-bladed bucket. Trenches measured approximately 0.6m in width, and lengths ranged from 1.55m to 21.7m, but were mostly in the 15-17m range.

The 11 slit trenches excavated across Francis Street and on Hanover Lane reveal the ground to be heavily disturbed by previous water pipes, sewers, electrical, and telecommunications cables. The bricks, mortar and slates found in the slit trenches result from demolition of buildings, or rebuilding/repairs, in recent centuries, and the recovered finds - pottery, glass and clay pipes - are mostly of 19th-century type.

Older material was revealed in two of the slit trenches. In Trench ST-05, in a clearly disturbed deposit under the tarmacadam and concrete surface, a piece of building stone with typical medieval roll moulding and fillet was found. It is from a column, or perhaps a window or door. A few fragments of floor tiles, probably of medieval date, were found nearby. All of these are probably from the Franciscan Friary, which was approximately situated on the site of the present church of St Nicholas Of Myra. In Trench ST-10, two small sherds of green-glazed medieval pottery were found at the junction of Francis Street and Mark’s Alley. In view of the known medieval origin of the street, this is not very surprising or informative. They may, however, suggest that the stone structure in the trench is also medieval. This appeared to be a stone wall, although only a small piece was exposed in the slit-trench. It was in line with the kerb and is therefore unlikely to have been part of any of the houses, unless Francis Street was narrower when it was built.

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