2025:601 - Clonsilla Lodge, Clonsilla Road, Dublin 15, Dublin
County: Dublin
Site name: Clonsilla Lodge, Clonsilla Road, Dublin 15
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A
Licence number: 25E0174
Author: Ida La Fratta
Author/Organisation Address: c/o IAC Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 704990m, N 738255m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.384019, -6.421811
| Monitoring of the groundworks followed on from a programme of archaeological assessment carried out in March 2025. Archaeological testing was undertaken on 18 March 2025 at Clonsilla Lodge, Clonsilla, Dublin 15. The proposed development site is set within 0.53ha of land within the bounds of Clonsilla Lodge. The site lies 200m east of St Mary’s Church (DU013-017001-03) on the northern side of Clonsilla Road. The site contains two buildings, the primary of those being known as ‘Clonsilla Lodge’, which is a 20th-century ‘Arts and Crafts’- style residential dwelling. An older structure known by the same name is located several metres further west of St Mary’s church, as noted in cartographic sources. Therefore, the current Lodge does not comprise the original Clonsilla Lodge as noted on maps and within historic references.
During the present programme of testing six test trenches were excavated across the area of development. With the exception of several linear furrows, field drains and ditches of 18th/19th-century date were encountered; no feature of archaeological significance was uncovered during the archaeological testing. In the north-western corner of the site, amongst modern rubble used for the footings of concrete garden paths, a number of fragments of imported limestone and sandstone of potential medieval date was retrieved. These included a fragment of dressed Bath stone, a roll-moulded doorjamb of red sandstone with a likely provenance in the Chester region and a white oolithic limestone that may either be Dundry or Portland stone. All of these imported stone types (with the exception of Portland stone) have been identified in medieval ecclesiastical buildings of 13th-14th-century date in the Dublin region. Given the find context, it is unclear whether this material may have come from the purported medieval church that is likely to have been dismantled in 1847 during the construction of the current St Mary’s Church to the west of the development site, or whether this material relates to Gothic revival work related to Clonsilla House. Archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping across the development scheme was carried out during May 2025. While monitoring did not reveal any features of archaeological significance a number of architectural fragments have been recovered from topsoil at the north-western limit of the development area. These included fragment of a dressed Bath Stone, a sill stone fragment and a chimney pot, possibly associated with St. Mary’s Church (NIAH 11353005) and Clonsilla house. Archaeological monitoring at Clonsilla Lodge did not reveal any features of archaeological significance. Consequently, no further mitigation measures are deemed necessary.
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