County: Dublin Site name: 110-111 Cork Street, Dublin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 20E0030
Author: Tim Coughlan
Site type: Post-medieval tannery
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 699478m, N 704580m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.082547, -6.515142
Excavations at 110-111 Cork Street uncovered three phases of archaeological activity which span from the post-medieval period through to modern times. The first phase was represented by an agricultural soil layer which relates to the early 18th century and earlier. This layer was the result of cultivation of the field areas before the area was urbanised.
The second phase is associated with the spread of the urban area in the eighteenth century with the foundations of terraced houses which were constructed along the roadway as Cork Street expanded outwards.
The third phase consists of an intact 19th-century tannery, part of a local textile industry that focused on the production of leather. The positioning of the tannery at this location along Cork Street took advantage of the readily available sources of animal hides from the local abattoirs. The tannery appears to have been quite self-sufficient in regard to obtaining the raw materials for leather production; a (disturbed) mill wheel associated with the production of woodchip (used to create a solution within each tanning pit that was rich in tannins in which the treated hides where bathed) was found. Additionally, there was an onsite limekiln (required for the production of lime which was used to clean/de-salt the fresh hides and was used to soften and remove the animal hair before tannin treatment). A total of 32 tanning pits were exposed and recorded. Essential to the workings of a tannery was a readily available water source, the location of a deep well to the south, appeared to have been an essential aspect in the layout of the tannery with due care taken to ensure ample room in which to work. At the end of this phase when the tannery went out of use, the complex underwent a specific process of “decommissioning”, which entailed the sealing of each tanning pit with a grey clay. Such a dense material would have been necessary in attempting to reduce the foul smell which is associated with the tanning process.
The final phases related to modern activities associated with the construction of modern buildings over the tannery site.
c/o IAC Archaeology, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
