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Ballymena Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument occupies a landscape of considerable geological antiquity, rising from bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs laid down during the Palaeogene period. This volcanic foundation gives the surrounding terrain its distinctive character, shaped by ancient igneous activity millions of years before the stone was erected.
The standing stone dates to the prehistoric period, when such monuments were raised across Ireland and Britain, likely serving ritual, territorial or commemorative purposes. Its position in the Ballymena area places it within a landscape marked by Bronze Age and earlier activity, though the precise date of the stone's erection remains unknown. The stone stands as a durable record of prehistoric communities who possessed the resources and social organisation to quarry, transport and erect substantial stone monuments.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under monument reference 2272, ensuring its preservation as an important element of the archaeological heritage of Northern Ireland. Its survival on this Palaeogene volcanic bedrock provides evidence of settlement and ritual practice in the region during prehistory.
Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2272. View the official record →
Ballymena Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2272.
Standing stone dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Standing stone 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 2272.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 (3.5 km), Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 (3.5 km), Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 (3.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Standing stone'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.
Standing stone stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.