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Tidal ford & mesolithic material is a ford located at Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The crossing lies on bedrock formed during the Palaeogene period, comprising mafic lava and mafic tuff that provides a natural causeway across the water. As a tidal ford, it would have been passable on foot during low water, making it an important crossing point for prehistoric movement through the landscape.
The presence of mesolithic material at this location indicates human activity during the Early Post-glacial period, roughly 9600 to 4000 BC, when hunter-gatherer communities exploited riverine resources and used established routeways. The discovery of artefacts here suggests the ford was already a significant crossing during this era, before later periods saw the development of formalised ford structures.
The site is protected as a monument of archaeological importance under the Historic Environment Division reference 16342, recognising both its topographical significance as a natural ford and the evidence for early human use of this strategic location. The underlying volcanic geology has created a durable foundation that has maintained the ford's utility across millennia.
Tidal ford & mesolithic material is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 16342. View the official record →
Tidal ford & mesolithic material is a ford located at Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 16342.
Tidal ford & mesolithic material 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 16342.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Loughan island or inis-an-loughan. castle (3.6 km), Mound (3.7 km), Piper's hill. long mound (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tidal ford & mesolithic material'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.
Tidal ford & mesolithic material stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.