History lives on in Lisburn’s ancient Standing Stone

Lisburn man Freddie Gorman, who now lives in England, has a passion for history and on a recent visit back to his hometown he took the opportunity to visit the standing stone.

"Whilst researching for this current trip I discovered information about an archaeological survey that took place in the odd numbered side of Sloan Street in 2015," Freddie explained.

"The report stated that nothing of significance was found but the site was approximately 90m North from a 'Standing Stone'.

"Because of the redevelopment of Young Street and Sloan Street I believed that the stone would be long gone but with further research I found the Standing Stone depicted in the print more or less in the same place.

"Google Street View confirmed it and on Thursday February 22, 2024 I had my photo taken at it.”

Freddie wondered what the standing stone was originally intended for and was hoping to find out more about it.

According to the Lisburn museum, the stone could date back as far as the Bronze Age but no one is quite sure what it was used for originally.

James Frazer from Lisburn Museum explained: “e standing stone is very old, dating back to the prehistoric period. Other similar stones are thought to be from the Bronze Age, though they are difficult to date exactly.

"The stone was located 200 metres east of the River Lagan in a field boundary, so not too far from its present location. The stone itself is basalt and stands 1.5m high, 1.0m wide, and 0.8m broad.

"In recent history, it was removed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and re-erected as a feature of the development near Young Street.

"Historians and archaeologists are still uncertain of what standing stones were used for.

"There are thousands throughout Ireland, some on their own and others as part of a group of stones.

"Generally speaking, it is thought that they served a religious or ceremonial purpose. Some of the theories include territorial marker, burial/memorial site, religious observance, astronomical event.”