Dublin City Archaelogical Archive/ Moore Street/Parnell Street, Dublin 1 (98E0357)

Context

Creator(s): Margaret Gowen and Company

• Administrative History ↴

  Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd., Rath House, Ferndale Road, Rathmichael, Co. Dublin, is a professional archaeological company founded in the early 1980s.The company has carried out a number of archaeological excavations and development-led investigations arising from the requirements of development control and planning process, in line with legal provisions of the Planning and Development Acts (2000) and the National Monuments Acts (1930-2004) and Amendments Acts. The Moore Street/Parnell Street is one of many site archives that has been generated through these development-led excavations. Excavations were carried out on a block at the north eastern corner of Moore Street and Parnell Street between January and April of 2003 in advance of the construction of a hotel and other retail outlets by Shelbourne Developments. The excavation was carried out for Shelbourne Developments Ltd. Four principal phases of activity were identified. The first phase was medieval, where a thin deposit of topsoil represented the cultivated lands either within or immediately outside the ‘Abbey Parke’ of St Mary’s Abbey. The second phase of activity relates to the use of the site as a brickfield. The brickfield is likely to have been associated with the construction of Sackville Mall by Luke Gardiner and dates from the first half of the 18th century. Some early buildings are likely to have been built fronting onto O’Rahilly Parade during this stage, such as a house with a triangular fireplace. The third and principal phase of activity on the site dated between 1750 and 1770, when the site was extensively built over with the construction of substantial Georgian houses fronting onto Parnell Street (formerly known as Great Britain Street); this involved the laying out of nine property plots running north–south, parallel to Moore Street and to O’Rahilly Parade (formerly known as Sackville Lane). The final phase of activity relates to the occupation of the site down to the present day and includes alterations to the existing buildings and the piecemeal addition of new buildings within the site. One of the most significant finds was a wooden toy boat c1750-1780. Other finds include pottery sherds the majority of which are post-medieval and date from the 17th century; clay pipes; glass including fragments, complete bottles, vials, drinking glasses and window fragments; animal bones; wood; leather; metal; stone; plastic; and textile finds.

• Archival History ↴

  Transferred by Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd. To Dublin City Archives, 25 September 2009

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Donation