EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Cork
Fig. 68: 11-13 Washington Street, Cork, Phase 2 - twelfth/mid-thirteenth century (after
McCutcheon 2003, 48).
STRUCTURES
Types
This section will identify the different types of structures that were present in Scandinavian
Cork and follows with descriptions of some of these buildings from a variety of excavation
reports. Wallace (1992 & 2001) has identified seven main types of buildings recovered within
the Irish Scandinavian towns. Types 1, 2 and 6 have been identified at the Scandinavian
settlement at Cork between 1996 and 2004 (Cleary 2003, 31-44; Hurley 2003a, 157-60;
Hurley & Trehy 2003, 29-30; Ní Loingsigh 2003 & 2005; Kelleher 2002; 2004 & forthcoming).
Type 1 buildings comprise the vast majority of excavated examples and have been found
from the mid ninth to twelfth century levels. Type 1 structures were long, rectangular
buildings with rounded corners. They had low post-and-wattle walls and a rood that was
supported by two pairs of large posts that were set in from the side and end walls. A stonelined
hearth was centrally placed and doors were usually located at each end of the building.
The buildings were divided by aisles and the long central floor was flanked on both sides by
built-up bedding which ran parallel to the side walls. The average floor area was 40m 2
(Wallace 1992, 9–14). The Type 2 buildings were sub-rectangular in plan, with pronounced
rounded corners, and were smaller than Type 1 structures with an average area of 15m 2 .
They were not aisled and rarely had formal fireplaces. The door was usually in the sidewall
and the walls were generally formed with a double line of post-and-wattle. Type 3 (1992, 16–
7) are typically slimmer and shorter versions of Type 1 structures that were built in narrow
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