© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Thompson Graving Dock is a nineteenth-century graving dock located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at grid reference J3566076130. It represents an important phase in the development of Belfast's shipbuilding industry during the Victorian era, when the city established itself as a major centre for marine engineering and vessel construction. The dock is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 6273.
The dock was constructed into Early Triassic sandstone that forms the bedrock beneath the site, a geological formation that dates from approximately 250 million years ago. This durable local stone provided a solid foundation for the substantial engineering works required to create a functional dry dock, where ships could be hauled for hull maintenance, repair and construction. The choice of location took advantage of the natural geology whilst allowing access to the tidal waters necessary for dock operations.
Graving docks like Thompson were essential infrastructure for nineteenth-century shipbuilding, allowing vessels to be completely emptied of water so that repairs and modifications could be carried out below the waterline. The dock's survival within Belfast's evolving industrial landscape testifies to the city's maritime heritage and the engineering achievements that underpinned its prosperity as a shipbuilding centre during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Thompson graving dock. thompson graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486'b for details is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6273. View the official record →
Thompson Graving Dock is a nineteenth-century graving dock located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at grid reference J3566076130.
Thompson graving dock. thompson graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486'b for details dates from the c19th period, and is classified as a graving dock. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Thompson graving dock. thompson graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486'b for details 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 6273.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brick chimney stack (ihr no.10149) (4.3 km), Barrow (5.8 km), Rath (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Thompson graving dock. thompson graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486'b for details'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.
Thompson graving dock. thompson graving dock - c.f. ihr 10486'b for details stands on Early Triassic sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Triassic. The rock here is sandstone.