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Slidderyford dolmen is a Neolithic portal tomb located in County Down, Northern Ireland. This megalithic monument represents one of the characteristic tomb types constructed during the Neolithic period, when communities began erecting substantial stone structures for communal burial purposes. Portal tombs are defined by their distinctive entrance arrangement, typically comprising two tall portal stones flanking an opening that provides access to a burial chamber.
The site rests upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock wacke formation that provided the local stone resource for the monument's construction. The underlying geology has shaped both the availability of suitable building material and the landscape character of this part of County Down. The monument's survival to the present day, despite the weathering effects of thousands of years and more recent land use changes, reflects the substantial engineering employed in its construction.
Slidderyford dolmen is protected under the Historic Environment Division with the statutory reference 8474, ensuring its preservation as an important archaeological resource. The monument contributes to the concentrated distribution of Neolithic funerary monuments across County Down and the wider region, providing material evidence of settlement patterns and burial practices in prehistoric Ireland.
Slidderyford dolmen. portal tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8474. View the official record →
Slidderyford dolmen is a Neolithic portal tomb located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8474.
Slidderyford dolmen. portal tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Slidderyford dolmen. 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 8474.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stones (2) (remains of megalithic tomb) (0.3 km), Ballykinler. trench system (ww1)- dhp 307 (3.4 km), St. cillan's fort. rath (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Slidderyford dolmen. portal tomb'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.
Slidderyford dolmen. portal tomb stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.