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Killough Harbour is a c18th/19th century harbour and rope walk situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. The facility exploited the site's natural coastal position to serve maritime commerce and industrial production during the period of expanding trade and manufacturing. The underlying bedrock of Hawick Group wacke, formed during the Wenlock period, provided a solid foundation for the constructed harbour infrastructure.
The combination of harbour and rope walk at this location reflects the integrated nature of maritime industries in the period, with rope production directly supporting the needs of local shipping. Rope walks required long, straight structures where fibres could be twisted and laid into cordage—a process demanding significant space and stability. The site's bedrock geology would have provided secure anchorage for both the waterfront structures and the manufacturing facilities.
Killough Harbour is protected as a monument of historic importance by the Historic Environment Division under reference 16069. The survival of both the harbour and rope walk structures provides material evidence of the trading networks and industrial practices that characterised the County Down coastline during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Killough harbour. harbour and rope walk is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 16069. View the official record →
Killough Harbour is a c18th/19th century harbour and rope walk situated in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 16069.
Killough harbour. harbour and rope walk dates from the c18th/c19th period, and is classified as a harbour. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Killough harbour. harbour and rope walk 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 16069.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Coney island pier. coney island pier, part of killough harbour (0.2 km), Margaret's castle. tower-house (2.1 km), Newark & horn castle, adrglass castle. tower-house, merchants stores & c18th castle (2.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Killough harbour. harbour and rope walk'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.
Killough harbour. harbour and rope walk stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.