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The Long Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Castlereagh, Northern Ireland. The monument survives as a single upright block of stone, testament to ritual or territorial significance in the ancient landscape. Such megaliths are characteristic of Neolithic and Bronze Age communities across the British Isles, erected for purposes that remain subject to scholarly interpretation—marking boundaries, commemorating the dead, or serving ceremonial functions within their communities.
The stone rises from bedrock composed of Sherwood Sandstone Group deposits, a geological formation of Ladinian age comprising sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This local geology would have informed the selection and working of the monument's stone, though whether the block was sourced locally or brought from elsewhere requires further investigation. The immediate landscape and surrounding finds would provide evidence of activity patterns and settlement in this area during prehistory.
The Long Stone is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 6312, ensuring its preservation for future study. As a rare survivor of what may once have been a more complex monument or landscape of stones, it remains an important record of prehistoric communities' relationship with the land and their monumental achievements. The site invites ongoing investigation into the practices and beliefs of early peoples in the Castlereagh region.
The long stone. standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6312. View the official record →
The Long Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Castlereagh, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6312.
The long stone. 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.
The long stone. 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 6312.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (4.1 km), Rath (4.9 km), Motte (5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The long stone. 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.
The long stone. standing stone stands on Sherwood Sandstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Ladinian. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.