’s Path Below is a timeline showing Limavady Heritage Trail sites in their historical context. Limavady Ballykelly Through History Those featured in this guide are highlighted. Airfield Heritage Trail BC C1st C5th C7/8th C12th C13th C17th C1st C12th C12th C12th C13th C1stBC 2500BC C7th/C8th C5th/C12th C5th/C12th C5th/C12th C5th/C12th C5th/ C12th

PERIOD C17th/C19th BLACK FORT WHITE FORT KING’S FORT 4500-2500BC C19th/20th ROUGH FORT TAMNIARIN FORT TAMNIARIN TANDRAGEE FORT TANDRAGEE CASTLE DUNGIVEN PRIORY ST AIDAN’S CHURCH

TOWNLAND CHURCH CARNANBANE TOMB Ballykelly / Drummond AUGHLISH STONE CIRCLE BANAGHER OLD CHURCH

ACCESS SITE ASSEMBLY DRUMCEATT World War II Ministry of HOARD FIND SPOT Defence property. No public access C18th C19th C18th C18th C18th C18th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th BRIDGE CARRICK MILLS GALVIN SCHOOL GALVIN SAMPSON’S TOWER RITTER’S GENERATOR DRUMCOVITT HOUSE PAUPER’S GRAVEYARD PAUPER’S THE RHELLICK, KILLEEN TANNYRANNY CHURCH TANNYRANNY KILHOYLE LIME WORKS LIMAVADY WORKHOUSE LIMAVADY OLD CHAPEL BALLYKELLY OS BASE TOWER BALLYKELLY LOUGHERY’S SCUTCHING MILL LOUGHERY’S BALLYDONEGAN SWEATHOUSE BALLYDONEGAN Ballykelly airfield opened as an RAF A unique feature of the airfield was that TOWER MARTELLO base on 1st June 1941, but it was not one of the runways crossed a railway line, C19th C20th WW2 until that December that it became requiring a direct line from flying control fully operational. In June 1942, No. 220 to a local signal box. Also unique is an

aircraft hangar, built in the mid 1960s WW2 WW2 Squadron moved in with B-17 Flying C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C19th C20th C20th C20th Fortress aircraft, followed by No. 120 to provide shelter for aircraft inspection, servicing and repair. Its innovative Squadron with B-24 Liberators to provide DRUMSURN LARGY PILLARS long range convoy escort. cantilever design was to provide a large LARGY SCHOOL uninterrupted space into which aircraft AGHANLOO AIRFIELD BALLYKELLY AIRFIELD BALLYKELLY LIMAVADY JUNCTION LIMAVADY LARGY POET’S HOUSE The airfield remained active after World could taxi under their own power. In LARGY ORANGE HALL OS MARK MAGILLIGAN War II as part of Coastal Command and terms of modern aircraft, it would be OS MARK BENBRADAGH was involved in patrolling during the capable of housing four Hercules transport GRAVEYARD ST MATTHEW’S RAILWAY STATION BELLARENA RAILWAY DRUMSURN RAILWAY STATION DRUMSURN RAILWAY LARGY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Cold War. During the post war period it aircraft simultaneously. STATION MAGILLIGAN RAILWAY brought a significant amount of money With the development of longer-range into the local economy and provided Nimrods the base became obsolete. some civilian support jobs. The last plane to fly from Ballykelly was a Shackleton in 1971, when the station transferred to the army. Shackleton Army For more information please contact: Base continued in operation until 2008. CAUSEWAY LIMAVADY TOURIST The Causeway Museum Service represents a partnership MUSEUM SERVICE INFORMATION CENTRE between the four local authorities of , Ballymoney, Limavady and Moyle. This project is part of a three year T: (028) 7034 7234 T: (028) 7776 0307 community outreach programme supported by the E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Heritage Lottery Fund.

Photography by: Tim Millen and Rachel Cassidy Designed by Tandemdesign.co.uk World War II Limavady Airfield, Aghanloo

PERIOD C20th TOWNLAND ACCESS Private, permission must be gained from landowner

Limavady Airfield 1945

The impact of World War II Large numbers of American, Canadian Limavady Airfield opened on 1st December By 1942 Coastal Command training facilities on the Limavady area is still and British forces were stationed at 1940. Three runways were constructed, had been established at Limavady. High ground airfields at Limavady and Ballykelly to but there were no hangars, so aircraft had on three sides of the airfield, flights over in evidence in the local defend the north coast from German to be parked and serviced in the open. water in bad weather and inexperienced U boats. Army forces received For administrative and residential purposes, trainee crews resulted in a high accident landscape today. a number of nearby premises were rate. Drumachose Parish and RC graveyards pre-invasion training on Magilligan requisitioned, including Gorteen House, contain many OTU personnel and parts of Strand in preparation for D-Day. Drenagh House and Greystones Hall. Station wreckage could still be found on the slopes Head Quarters was Red Pillar House on of Benevenagh years after the war. Limavady Some of the pill boxes built along the Main Street. Airfield closed in 1945, when the Coastal strand can still be seen. There were also Command Anti U-boat Devices School Courtesy HMSO The airfield acted as an important deterrent forces stationed at Dungiven, who set was disbanded. up firing ranges in the Benedy Glen. to German U-boats during the Battle of Nissen huts were built for local military Benbradagh was dotted with aerials for the Atlantic. It was used by Lockheed Hudson The dome used for training flight bombers personnel at Roe Valley Hospital, a substantial US communications base, and Hurricane fighter planes, as well as and gunners still survives and is unique in Blenheim Bombers and Whitley Bombers , with only 3 or 4 surviving formerly Limavady Workhouse, some which remained part of a hotline between equipped with the new top secret Air to in the UK as a whole. Some of the hangars, of which are still standing. America and Russia during the Cold War. The US army constructed the road up the Surface Vessel Mark II radar. In the first year, the control tower and a fortified underground side of the mountain and some people aircraft operating from Limavady accumulated Battle Headquarters also survive. a record 25,591 hours on patrol. say they built an underground nuclear bunker at its top. Ballykelly Airfield, Courtesy of Ernie Cromie, Ulster Aviation Society Ballykelly Airfield, Courtesy of Ernie Cromie, Ulster