© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Ballymena Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 2540. The stone rises from bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and tuff formed during volcanic activity in the Paleogene period, around 66 to 23 million years ago. This ancient geological foundation has supported the monument for thousands of years since its erection during the prehistoric era.
Standing stones like this example are among the most enduring monuments of northern Europe's prehistoric peoples, typically raised during the Neolithic or Bronze Age as markers of territorial, ritual or burial significance. The Ballymena stone occupies a landscape shaped by both geological forces and human activity across millennia, positioned at grid reference C9875202459 within County Antrim's rolling terrain.
The monument survives as testament to prehistoric monument-building traditions that characterised communities across the Irish island. Its survival in situ, protected within the modern historic environment framework, allows continued study of prehistoric settlement patterns and beliefs in this region of Northern Ireland.
Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2540. View the official record →
Ballymena Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 2540.
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 2540.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Counterscarp rath (1.7 km), Rath (3 km), Grannystown. counterscarp rath with four house platforms (4.6 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.