Excavations at Essex Street West, Dublin
By Linzi Simpson
Editor: Margaret Gowen
This report, the second in the series Archaeology in Temple Bar, presents the results of pre-development archaeological excavation on Essex Street West, adjacent to the church of SS Michael and John, which incorporates the fabric of the famous Smock Alley Theatre. The excavation was carried out to fulfil the requirements of planning permission, which sought to ensure that the development of the medieval river fronts to the east of Wood Quay was fully recorded.
It had previously been thought that the remains of the early Viking town wall might cross the site, but the excavation demonstrated that this was not the case and that the wall probably lies beneath the surface of Essex Street West itself.
This report describes the richness of the archaeological deposits laid down on the site long before the church or even the theatre was built, documenting the site's full and complex history and placing it in the wider archaeological context.
The cover shows a thirteenth-century gold finger-ring with polished sapphire that was found during the excavations. It is now in the National Museum. The report is available through Temple Bar Properties.
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