2019:742 - Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin 8, Dublin

This report refers to the first phase of a landscaping and re-paving project at Christ Church Cathedral, carried out to the grassed area known as the ‘cloister’ on the southern side of the Cathedral, at the western end of the precinct, occupied by the medieval Priory of the Holy Trinity. The works involved re-paving the cloister area, repairing drainage, the replacement of steps, repair of the railings, and the construction of a new viewing ramp. Previous testing in the cloister area in 2010 revealed substantial remains of the Four Courts, which was constructed in 1608 in this area. The findings included extant piers, floor, brick walls, and surfaces, just below present ground level. The new paved cloister was designed around these levels. The monitoring programme revealed a complex of substantial limestone walls, 1.5m in width, on the western side of the cloister, and these were identified as brick terraced housing fronting onto Winetavern Street. The King’s Bench Court was built up against this wall in 1608 confirming that the brick terrace must have been in position by this date, an exciting discovery. This is all the more important when matched with the various antiquarian pictorial representations of these buildings, confirming these type of houses in Dublin dated to the late 16th century/early 17th century.

The works also exposed large limestone piers related to the Four Courts complex and almost the full footprint has now been uncovered, similar to those found in 2010; these match the first plan of the courts dated to 1730. These piers lie just below present ground level (0.3m). Additional wall fragments related to the southern line of the courts and cellars beneath the courts were also found in the slope of the southern boundary but these only survived at foundation level and had been almost completely removed. To the north, a cobbled surface, part of the ‘Little Yard’ on the cartographic sources, was revealed in a service trench, along with the sub-surface remains of a path that could be dated to the 19th century. The monitoring also located two fragments of possible medieval walls in the walls of the 1608 terrace, one orientated east-west and one north-south, with the latter curving to the west at the southern end. A third possible wall fragment was found to the south-east, orientated east-west.
The works revealed the ground had been significantly reduced during the street restoration in the 19th century thus the archaeological horizon was very close to the existing ground level, lying between 0.3m and 0.5m below present ground level. In general, the features were sealed by layers of rubble and clay infill from demolition of the courts and no stratification or deposits were excavated during the works.
Almost all of the features were protected and preserved in situ. The works are now completed in this side of the precinct with a second, Phase 2, planned for the western side.

28 Cabinteely Close, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely Dublin 18