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Down is a Neolithic house site in Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division. The settlement lies on bedrock of the Gala Group, a formation of Telychian wacke that characterises this part of the northern landscape. This geological foundation would have provided a relatively stable base for occupation during the Neolithic period, though the terrain's natural drainage properties would have influenced where inhabitants chose to build.
The site represents one of the tangible records of early farming communities in Northern Ireland, whose presence is marked across the island by scattered house sites and occupation debris. Such locations typically reveal evidence of domestic activity through pottery, stone tools and features like hearths and post-holes, documenting how these pioneer agriculturalists adapted to local conditions. The wacke bedrock at Down would have been a source of stone suitable for tool manufacture and construction.
The monument's designation reflects the significance of Neolithic domestic sites in understanding the transition from hunter-gatherer to farming economies in Ireland. Each such settlement, however modest in the archaeological record, contributes to a broader picture of how communities organised their lives, chose their locations and exploited available resources during this transformative period in prehistory.
Neolithic house is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7525. View the official record →
Down is a Neolithic house site in Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7525.
Neolithic house dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a occupation site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Neolithic house 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 7525.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ballywillwill rath. counterscarp rath & souterrain (4.7 km), Slievehanny. cashel & souterrain (5.3 km), Counterscarp rath (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Neolithic house'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.
Neolithic house stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.