Medieval History
Dublin?s 900-year-old Viking city wall has been put on public view for the first time at the city council's civic offices on the Southside.
The wall was discovered during excavations of the site in the late 1970s and early 1980s in preparation for the construction of the new Dublin Corporation, now Dublin City Council, buildings.
After it was discovered, the wall was going to be dismantled and stored in another site, but large scale public protests forced city officials to cancel that plan. For the next thirty years, the site was kept hidden from the public and used for storage.
Last month, the wall was opened up for the general public as part of an exhibition called My City Exhibition, which showcases Dublin's development and future plans.
Measuring just under 20 metres in length and 4.3 metres in height, the section of wall is now visible through a glass viewing platform, with each stone bearing the identifying number painted on when it had been due for demolition.
Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer at Dublin City Council, explained the extent of the detailed and painstaking conservation work that has gone into preserving the wall. ?In 2007 we began looking at the site of the city walls in Wood Quay and we decided our first step would be to carry out the conservation works,? he said.
?We carried out a survey of all above ground remains of the city wall. That was key to bringing forward our ambition to conserve the stretch of the city wall that still exists.?
Mr Duggan explained that conservationists in the council wanted to ensure that the integrity of the wall itself was kept intact and that by leaving the markings and numberings on the stones the structure's more recent history would also be recorded.
?We were absolutely adamant that we wanted to maintain the existing condition of the wall so I would describe the work as much as necessary but as little as possible.
?We have done very gentle cleaning of the wall by using an archaeologist?s brush. We decided that in preserving the wall in the Wood Quay venue we would keep the underpinnings and the markings that were put there in the 1970s.
?They were put there when the wall was going to be demolished but thankfully that decision was eventually reversed,? he further explained. ?We decided that we should leave them there because we have to be honest about recent history affecting the Wood Quay site.
?From the amphitheatre section of the civic offices park where the operas are held every August you can walk onto a viewing platform and the public will be able to overlook the city wall,? he added.
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Medieval History
Dublin's Viking Wall can now be seen
Dublin?s 900-year-old Viking city wall has been put on public view for the first time at the city council's civic offices on the Southside.
The wall was discovered during excavations of the site in the late 1970s and early 1980s in preparation for the construction of the new Dublin Corporation, now Dublin City Council, buildings.
After it was discovered, the wall was going to be dismantled and stored in another site, but large scale public protests forced city officials to cancel that plan. For the next thirty years, the site was kept hidden from the public and used for storage.
Last month, the wall was opened up for the general public as part of an exhibition called My City Exhibition, which showcases Dublin's development and future plans.
Measuring just under 20 metres in length and 4.3 metres in height, the section of wall is now visible through a glass viewing platform, with each stone bearing the identifying number painted on when it had been due for demolition.
Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer at Dublin City Council, explained the extent of the detailed and painstaking conservation work that has gone into preserving the wall. ?In 2007 we began looking at the site of the city walls in Wood Quay and we decided our first step would be to carry out the conservation works,? he said.
?We carried out a survey of all above ground remains of the city wall. That was key to bringing forward our ambition to conserve the stretch of the city wall that still exists.?
Mr Duggan explained that conservationists in the council wanted to ensure that the integrity of the wall itself was kept intact and that by leaving the markings and numberings on the stones the structure's more recent history would also be recorded.
?We were absolutely adamant that we wanted to maintain the existing condition of the wall so I would describe the work as much as necessary but as little as possible.
?We have done very gentle cleaning of the wall by using an archaeologist?s brush. We decided that in preserving the wall in the Wood Quay venue we would keep the underpinnings and the markings that were put there in the 1970s.
?They were put there when the wall was going to be demolished but thankfully that decision was eventually reversed,? he further explained. ?We decided that we should leave them there because we have to be honest about recent history affecting the Wood Quay site.
?From the amphitheatre section of the civic offices park where the operas are held every August you can walk onto a viewing platform and the public will be able to overlook the city wall,? he added.
- New Website Showcases Suffolk?s Medieval Masterpieces
This month sees the launch of a new website designed to showcase one of the most important sets of medieval wall paintings to be found in East Anglia. The Lakenheath wall paintings website is the final stage in a project designed to conserve and interpret...
- Part Of Hadrian's Wall Repaired
A section of Hadrian?s Wall has been repaired thanks to funding made available through the Higher Level Stewardship scheme administered by Natural England. The repair which is on part of Hadrian?s Wall between the impressive Roman fort remains at Great...
- Estonia: Renovations To Link Medieval Tower With Underground Passageways
Tallinn has announced it will begin renovating towers along a stretch of city wall that promises to turn the ancient ramparts and secret passageways into a viable alternate route between upper and lower Old Town. The city government announced on October...
- Sealed Medieval Door At Lincoln Castle To Be Opened To Create Complete Wall Walk
A sealed-up medieval doorway at Lincoln Castle is to be knocked through under plans to create uninterrupted wall walks. Lincolnshire County Council has £3.5 million to open up the south wall to the public, linking it to the other three walls via a system...
- Section Of Great Wall Of China Damaged By Miners
China's central government and the police in north China's Inner Mongolia Region are jointly investigating allegations that a mining company has destroyed 100 meters of an ancient section of the Great Wall. According to Xinhua News Agency,police...