Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandBelfastHamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486
C19TH · GRAVING DOCK

Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486

Belfast, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 6272
Period
C19TH
Site type
GRAVING DOCK
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 6272
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J3501375127
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Hamilton Graving Dock is a nineteenth-century graving dock located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Graving docks, also known as dry docks, were essential facilities for ship construction and repair, allowing vessels to be hauled into an enclosed basin where water could be drained away to expose the hull for maintenance and building work. This example represents the industrial infrastructure that developed in Belfast during the Victorian era, when the city became a major centre of shipbuilding and marine engineering.

The dock sits upon bedrock of the Sherwood Sandstone Group, a geological formation of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone dating from the Ladinian period. This stable substrate provided suitable ground conditions for the substantial stone and masonry structures required for dock construction. The dock's engineering would have demanded considerable skill in managing water levels and maintaining the integrity of the basin against the pressure of tidal waters and the weight of large vessels.

Hamilton Graving Dock is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 6272, recognising its significance to Belfast's maritime and industrial heritage. The site stands as evidence of the city's once-thriving shipbuilding industry and the technological capabilities of nineteenth-century engineers working in harsh industrial conditions.

Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6272. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486?

Hamilton Graving Dock is a nineteenth-century graving dock located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6272.

What period does Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486 date from?

Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486 dates from the c19th period, and is classified as a graving dock. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486?

Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486 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 6272.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Barrow (5.2 km), Belvoir park mound. motte (5.4 km), Rath (5.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486

Hamilton graving dock. hamilton graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486 stands on Sherwood Sandstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Ladinian. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.