Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandLimavadyPossible portal tomb
NEO/B.A. · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Possible portal tomb

Limavady, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 12443
Period
NEO/B.A.
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 12443
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
C6849005490
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Possible Portal Tomb, Limavady is a Neolithic or Bronze Age megalithic monument situated in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Portal tombs of this period typically consist of a burial chamber formed by large upright stones supporting a capstone, with an entrance defined by two prominent portal stones. The monument rests upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, ancient metamorphic rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era, comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite deposits that underlie much of the north-west Ulster landscape.

The site benefits from statutory protection as a scheduled monument under the Historic Environment Division, reference number 12443. This designation recognises its archaeological and cultural significance as a surviving example of megalithic funerary architecture, a tradition that flourished across Ireland during the early prehistoric period. Portal tombs are among the most distinctive and enduring monuments from this era.

The monument's location within the Limavady area places it within a landscape rich in prehistoric settlement and burial sites. The local topography and underlying geology would have been known and utilised by the communities who constructed such monuments, making this site an important reference point for understanding Neolithic and Bronze Age activity in the region.

Possible portal tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12443. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Possible portal tomb?

Possible Portal Tomb, Limavady is a Neolithic or Bronze Age megalithic monument situated in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12443.

What period does Possible portal tomb date from?

Possible portal tomb dates from the neo/b.a. period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Possible portal tomb?

Possible portal tomb 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 12443.

What other scheduled monuments are near Possible portal tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Possible court tomb (0.1 km), Court tomb (1.4 km), Altnaheglish reservoir. reservoir dam (1.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Possible portal tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Possible portal tomb'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 Possible portal tomb

Possible portal tomb stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.