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Tree Stumps is a Mesolithic submerged woodland located on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. The site preserves evidence of ancient forest that flourished during the Mesolithic period, before rising sea levels submerged the landscape beneath the present-day intertidal zone. The stumps and roots exposed at low tide represent trees that once formed part of the post-glacial woodland ecosystems which characterised the early Holocene landscape of the Irish Sea region.
The trees grew upon Early Triassic sandstone bedrock, a geology that would have provided reasonably well-drained soils suitable for woodland establishment in the immediate post-glacial period. The submerged nature of the site means the organic remains have been preserved in anaerobic conditions, offering rare insights into Mesolithic woodland composition and the environmental changes that shaped early human settlement patterns in Ireland.
Tree Stumps is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 13491. The site remains accessible to visitors at low tide and serves as a tangible record of landscape transformation, demonstrating the dramatic environmental shifts of the early Holocene and the former extent of dry land now claimed by the sea.
Tree stumps is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13491. View the official record →
Tree Stumps is a Mesolithic submerged woodland located on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13491.
Tree stumps dates from the mesolithic period, and is classified as a submerged woodland. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tree stumps 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 13491.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including 2 portions of quay works and slipway (4.7 km), Nendrum tide mill - see itr record for more details) (4.7 km), Kircubbin harbour. quay, slipway and mooring (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tree stumps'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.
Tree stumps stands on Early Triassic sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Triassic. The rock here is sandstone.