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Down Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. Protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 7203, this monument stands as evidence of ritual or territorial significance in the early prehistoric landscape. The stone rises from bedrock of the Gala Group formation, a wacke-type stone dating to the Telychian period, which underlies much of this region with its hard metamorphic character.
Standing stones across Ulster were typically erected during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, serving purposes that remain partly mysterious but likely included marking territorial boundaries, assembly points, or sacred locations within prehistoric communities. The geological context at Down, with its exposed Gala Group wacke, would have provided a distinctive landmark in the surrounding terrain.
The monument's survival to the present day reflects both its robust construction and the protective measures afforded by its official designation. As one of many such stones scattered across the Irish landscape, this standing stone contributes to our understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns and the spiritual geography of ancient Ulster communities.
Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7203. View the official record →
Down Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7203.
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 7203.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (2.1 km), Bivallate rath (3.2 km), Listooder. counterscarp rath (3.8 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 Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.