House - fortified house

The National Monuments Service's description

Known as the College of Howth, this is a T-shaped three- storey building of probable late 15th-sixteenth-century date. It fronts onto Abbey Street and is located south of St Mary's Church (DU015-029001-). It's longer axis runs east-west (int. dims. max. L 16m, max Wth 7m) and there is a small projection in the centre of the east wall which according to Leask (1960, III, 28-30) contained the garderobes. Built of roughly coursed blocks of Howth stone, volcanic type rocks and limestone with dressed limestone used in quoins, windows and doors.

Formerly the E end of the building was divided into two compartments each containing fireplaces in gable walls. An entrance passage divided the west end of building into two compartments. Access was through elliptical arched doorway with chamfered jambs that have been hammer dressed. Ground floor was lit by an elliptical arched window with plain hood moulding. The eastern projection is lit by slit opes. The first floor contains round arched windows formed of chamfered limestone jambs.

A number of archaeological investigations were undertaken prior to its conversion to a domestic house. A survey revealed that the inside had been lowered in modern times, the original ground floor was 1.7m higher than the present floor. It also identified a mortared foundation within the footprint of the building which was suggestive of an earlier structure or a cellar (Simpson, L. 2006, 161). Hand excavation (Licence no. 03E1804) of four pits (averaging 1m sq.), at the corners of the building and the southern footing of a proposed stairwell (3m east-west by 1.1m), were excavated through archaeological deposits to determine the natural subsoil. The medieval horizon containing 13th/14th-century pottery was identified 0.06-0.43m below the lowered ground level. The foundation of a rubble-built internal wall (0.5m high) was identified almost centrally to the structure (Baker 2003). The new house was 'hung' within the original and an iron roof added.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 26 January 2015

References

Baker C. 2003 Lusk. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2001: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 134. Bray. Wordwell.

Leask, H.G. 1960 (Reprint 1971, 1978 and 1985) Irish churches and monastic buildings, vol. III. Medieval gothic the last phases. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.

Leask, H.G. 1960 (Reprint 1967 and 1990) Irish churches and monastic buildings, vol. II. Gothic architecture to A.D. 1400. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.