2019:675 - River House, Chancery Street, Dublin 7, Dublin

Archaeological excavation at River House was undertaken at Chancery Street, Dublin 7 at the site of a hotel development. Excavation followed on from a series of archaeological assessments undertaken by IAC Ltd and carried out as a condition of planning from an Bord Pleanála (Planning Ref.: PL 29N.248961. These included a desktop assessment carried out in February 2017 and a programme of testing undertaken between October and November 2018.

Excavation uncovered two phases of medieval activity and two phases of late medieval activity across the site. The earliest activity on site (Phase 1) comprised the reclamation of a watercourse, possibly the River Bradogue, which was located at the south-eastern end of the site. Phase 2 activity was comprised of medieval features including a west–east aligned ditch, earth-cut pits, spreads/deposits and cobbled surfaces that were located throughout the site. Antler waste and medieval pottery from as early as the 12th century was retrieved from a number of the pits. A concentration of medieval features was also noted at the southern end of the site. Phase 3 activity comprised of post-medieval pits and spreads/deposits located across the site that pre-date later cellars. Phase 4 activity comprised of post-medieval residential plots of cellars, wells and drains. A possible terrace of four buildings was identified aligned west–east at the southern extent of the site fronting onto Pill Lane (now Chancery street) while four other cellars were recorded at the north of the site, two possibly fronting onto Cow lane (Greek Street) and two fronting onto Bull lane (St. Michan’s place). Post-excavation works are ongoing.

IAC Archaeology, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow