© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
The Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument stands on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—ancient mafic lava and tuff deposits formed during the Paleogene period some 66 to 23 million years ago. These volcanic foundations, now weathered and integrated into the local landscape, underlie the glacially modified terrain characteristic of the Antrim plateau region. The stone itself represents a much earlier phase of human activity, erected during the prehistoric period as part of a tradition of monumental stone-raising that spread across northern Ireland and the broader island.
Standing stones served various purposes in prehistoric societies, functioning as territorial markers, commemorative monuments, or focal points for ritual activity. Their isolated positioning often reflects their original significance within Bronze Age or earlier landscapes, though many now stand amid changed surroundings. The Ballymena example contributes to the substantial corpus of standing stones distributed across County Antrim, a concentration reflecting both past settlement patterns and the availability of suitable stone in this geologically active region.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 2543, ensuring its preservation as an important element of Northern Ireland's archaeological heritage.
Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2543. View the official record →
The Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located near Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2543.
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 2543.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Shemy's island. crannog (0.9 km), Standing stone (5.4 km), Counterscarp rath (5.5 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.