‘Beneath Our Feet’ at St Peter’s Church

As part of Culture Night 2025, the Lord Mayor of Cork Councillor Fergal Dennehy launched a new exhibition entitled 'Beneath Our Feet' exploring the city’s medieval past at St Peter’s Church, North Main Street.

Running until 4 October, the exhibition details the archaeological excavation but also links them to artist responses. The exhibition is in partnership with Cork City Council Archaeologist Ciara Brett and supported by Creative Ireland.

In the winter of 2021-22 a team of archaeologists, under the direction of Avril Purcell of Lane Purcell Archaeology excavated a large site, 92-96 North Main Street, in the heart of Cork city, in advance of a development for student accommodation.

The site extended downwards to a depth of approximately three metres below street level and a total of twelve identifiable buildings from the medieval period, including stake-built, post and wattle and sill-beam timber houses were recorded.

By its nature, this busy building site was hidden from public view. The exhibition records that at times, it was hazardous even to those working there, let alone visiting members of the public, so there was no opportunity or possibility to share the findings whilst excavations were ongoing.

However, the makers of the exhibition highlight that the site is a “valuable window on the lives of medieval Cork people, offering evidence of everyday life and activities from the 12th to the 14th centuries and beyond”.

The detailed exhibition denotes the first houses from the twelfth century were of post and wattle construction using resources, such as hazel, which were available locally. Outside the houses there were paths made of brushwood and stepping stones.

Post and wattle houses were replaced by more substantial fully framed timber houses sitting on large oak base plates or sill beams which sat directly on the surface. All elements of the building sat above the base plates with the uprights anchored in mortices cut into the base plates forming a strong frame for the structure and supporting the roof.

The exhibition outlines that the design of medieval houses reflected how people lived in them. “Medieval homes were workplaces as well as living places. The backyard area of a number of the houses contained the remains of stone platforms or open air ovens. In addition there were outbuildings and a rectangular enclosure possibly for securing animals.”

The remains of a substantial stone-built house was located 30m west of North Main Street. Its circa 1m wide walls were constructed of roughly dressed limestone and were battered on their outer faces. It is likely that this house stood to several storeys.

The exhibition details that a door, located on the western wall, was likely the 'back' door. The remains of a garderobe chute (toilet) were also found. Similarly large stone-houses were excavated at Washington Street and Grattan Street. The range of ceramics associated with this structure suggest a mid-late 13th century date for construction.

The exhibition proposes that the house was one of a wealthy merchant. “Given the orientation across two plots it is possible that it may have been owned by a single wealthy family and could have been accessed through one or both of the street-front houses on these plots.”

The exhibition is held in the present St Peter’s, which was built on the site of a medieval church and is located just a few doors down from the excavation site, and so it was likely the place where the inhabitants of the wooden houses uncovered went to worship.

It is therefore a fitting venue, as similar archaeology will literally be beneath the feet of anyone visiting the exhibition.

Commenting on the exhibition, Ciara Brett, Cork City Council Archaeologist said that the archaeology of Cork is of huge interest to Cork people.

“We know that archaeology interests the Cork public, but due to the rescue nature of the projects we engage in, they are rarely able to interact with the material and outcomes directly. By engaging with artists, some of whom have archaeological experience, we hope to interpret these narratives, of excavation, discovery, of imagining the past, of experiencing the materials from the past, telling both our own stories and the stories of Cork’s past as understood from the evidence we have uncovered.”

The exhibition features a diverse array of artist installations, including painted boards by artist and writer Sarah Baume, arranged in a form reminiscent of an altarpiece to evoke an 'iconography' of medieval Cork. Visitors will also encounter sculptural pieces by UK-based glass artist Matt Durran, photographs of artefacts uncovered at North Main Street, pressed flora, and a thoughtfully assembled installation of bracken and bone.

The exhibition also includes recordings of oral histories from specialists involved in the excavation, as well as a series of talks. Penny Johnston, archaeobotanist, research scientist and oral historian, presents work as well as Eva Kourela – entomologist, PhD researcher and illustrator.

Sunday 28 September: New tour The South Bank – The South Parish and its Histories. Meet at the Ronnie Herlihy Pocket Park, Langford Row, adjacent intersection of High Street, Summerhill South and Douglas Street at 2pm.