EMAP_Progress_Reports_2009_2.pdf - The Heritage Council

Dublin
Evidence for two stone walls, dating to the early twelfth century, was detected at Ross Road. The
earlier wall measured 0.8m in height and was over 1.2m wide. The second wall replaced this and
survived to a height of 2.6m and was 1.6m wide at its base. The walls – similarly to those at
Fishamble Street and Essex Gate/Parliament Street – were cut into earlier banks and were never
completely free-standing (Walsh 2001, 108–11). The excavations at Ross Road demonstrate that the
Hiberno-Scandinavian wall ran 11m north parallel of the Anglo-Norman wall rather than along Dublin
Castle and Ship Street Little which had previously been accepted. It also confirms that the Ship Street
Little stretch is Anglo-Norman in date (Simpson 2008, 156–7).
STREETS AND PATHWAYS (Fig. 115)
Ninth to twelfth centuries
The street lines and gradual expansion of Dublin occurred along the natural contours while many of
Dublin’s early streets probably lie beneath the present streetscape (Wallace 1992b, 39). Both streets
and pathways were continually upgraded and replaced and utilised a variety of different materials
from organic to sturdier stone types. By the middle of the eleventh century, for example, quality
carpentry construction was noted on some of the Winetavern Street pathways (Wallace 1992b, 42).
Paths were found leading from streets directly into property plots, houses and outbuildings. The
following are some examples from the many Dublin excavations.
One of the earliest known Scandinavian roads in Dublin – dating between the mid and late ninth
century – was identified at Essex Street West (Simpson 1999, 25). The road – built as a permanent
route – replaced a demolished house and led to the river (Fig. 115). It divided the houses to the west
at Fishamble Street and to the east at Exchange Street Upper. A substantial wattle path or road was
built at the northern part of the site at Fishamble Street. It ran parallel to the River Liffey and
continues as a route today indicating the antiquity of some of Dublin’s early route-ways (Simpson
1999, 30). Two potentially early tenth-century roads were identified at Werburgh Street in the
southern part of the town. The first road was metalled and ran south-eastwards around a mound.
This road was replaced by a larger road which contained a heavier layer of metalling (Hayden 2002,
47).
A variety of pathways have been excavated in Hiberno-Scandinavian Dublin. A complex timber
surface was recorded at Exchange Street Upper/Parliament Street which consisted of a woven wattle
path on the north and a series of layers of brushwood with large planks laid along the leading edge of
Bank 2 on the south. The northern section gave access to the river while brushwood and planks
provided a working surface (Gowen with Scully 1996, 16). Numerous pathways were revealed at
Werburgh Street in the southern area of the town and many led to the entrances of the 31 structures
uncovered or were positioned alongside or to the front of the houses (Hayden 2002). The paths were
continually mended and replaced. For example, a pathway leading to House E1 was initially floored by
a layer of sod, was then covered with grass and straw before finally being laid with wattle screens.
After a certain period, both the house and pathway were replaced and the latter was wider and
delimited by a fence (Hayden 2002, 47–9).
At Fishamble Street, in both the tenth and eleventh centuries, the pathways led from the street to the
houses. The length of the paths indicated that the houses were set back several metres from the
streets. The paths were approximately 1.5m wide and usually consisted of elongated woven mats laid
on top of each other. In other cases they were formed with round or half round logs laid on
longitudinal runners. In rare cases, they were constructed of gravel and paving stones (Wallace
1992b, 42). In the eleventh century, the route, running east-west and parallel to the Liffey, remained
constant during the Hiberno-Scandinavian settlement of Dublin. Paths leading from the plots at
Temple Bar West linked up with it and wattle types were replaced by substantial stone paths or roads
during the late tenth and early eleventh century (Simpson 1999, 32).
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