Defence Heritage
The 20th century was a significant period in our history, spanning two World Wars and the later Cold War.
The Defence Heritage Record
The Defence Heritage Record has its origins in a project set up in 1997 to record wartime sites, such as training trenches, pillboxes, gun and search-light emplacements, air-raid shelters, airfields, and naval bases. A small number of dedicated volunteers amassed an impressive record of many aspects of our defence heritage, and over 300 sites of interest were recorded.
A new project commenced in 2020 to survey all known defence sites in Northern Ireland. The survey has identified over 4500 sites. Their locations and associated site reports can be viewed on the Historic Environment Map Viewer.
Our publication, The Defence Heritage Record (DHR) The Survey Project 2020-2024, provides further information on Northern Ireland’s Defence Heritage Record (DHR), the results of the recent survey, and how to access the record.
Contact HERoNI to discover more or to plan a visit.
Protecting our Defence Heritage
Historic Environment Division works to protect sites of interest through both legislation and policy. The most appropriate form of protection is identified on an individual site basis.
Several sites have been scheduled for protection under the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995. These include a fighter pilot dome trainer, which is unique in Northern Ireland, and a variety of pill boxes. Other sites have been Listed for protection under Section 80 of the Planning Act (NI) 2011, such as the control tower and associated buildings at Langford Lodge, Crumlin.
We also work with District Councils to ensure defence heritage sites are given due consideration when dealing with new development applications.