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Newry Artillery Fort is a late medieval fortification located in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. Constructed during the period when artillery was transforming military architecture, the fort exemplifies the transition from medieval castle design to the low, angular bastioned structures that could withstand cannon fire. The site stands on Silurian siltstone bedrock, interspersed with sandstone and limestone bands, geology that would have presented both challenges and resources to its builders.
The fort's position within the Newry and Mourne landscape reflects strategic considerations typical of late medieval Irish fortifications, where control of passage and communication routes remained paramount. The underlying geology of the site, dominated by Silurian siltstone, would have influenced construction methods and the durability of the structure. This bedrock formation, dating from the Silurian period over 400 million years ago, provided a stable foundation for the fort's defences.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency under reference number 8923, recognising its significance as evidence of late medieval military engineering and Irish fortification history. The fort survives as a physical record of the period when traditional medieval strongholds were being superseded by purpose-built artillery fortifications designed to meet the demands of early modern warfare.
Artillery fort is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8923. View the official record →
Newry Artillery Fort is a late medieval fortification located in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8923.
Artillery fort dates from the late-med period, and is classified as a fortification. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Artillery fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 8923.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mound (1.8 km), Church (2.4 km), Motte (2.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Artillery fort's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Artillery fort stands on Silurian siltstone, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is major:{siltstone}, Minor{sandstone,limestone}.