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Raft launching site is a modern non-antiquity located in the Ards peninsula, County Down, Northern Ireland. The site occupies land underlain by Silurian siltstone, part of the ancient rock sequence laid down during the Silurian period when this region lay beneath shallow seas. The bedrock comprises predominantly siltstone with subsidiary bands of sandstone and limestone, typical of the geological formation that characterises much of the eastern Ulster coast.
This designated heritage site, protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 13476, represents a more recent chapter in the area's material culture. The raft launching site documents activities connected to traditional maritime practices and water-based transport on the peninsula's waterways or coastal margins. Its protection reflects the Historic Environment Division's commitment to recording diverse aspects of human activity beyond conventional archaeological monuments.
The Silurian bedrock of the Ards provides a stable foundation for such activity sites, whilst the local geology has historically influenced settlement patterns and economic use of the landscape. The site's formal designation ensures its continued recognition within the region's heritage record, maintaining a record of practices that formed part of local life and livelihood in relatively recent times.
Raft launching site is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13476. View the official record →
Raft launching site is a modern non-antiquity located in the Ards peninsula, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13476.
Raft launching site dates from the modern period, and is classified as a non-antiquity. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Raft launching site 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 13476.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Windmill stump (c.f. ihr 2815 for details) (1.7 km), Kelp grid (2.2 km), Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Raft launching site'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.
Raft launching site stands on Silurian siltstone, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is major:{siltstone}, Minor{sandstone,limestone}.