Bellaghy Bawn

During the reign of King James VI and I, the Plantation of Ulster was the 17th-century colonisation of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland, by the English Crown. The plantation consisted of six official counties—Donegal, Londonderry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Cavan and Armagh—and the two unplanted counties of Antrim and Down. County Londonderry was chartered by The Honourable The Irish Society, a consortium of London livery companies.

The original bawn was square-shaped, 100 sqft in area, with two large towers diagonally opposite one another with two-story blocks extended from each. It consisted of mostly red incorporated diatomite-clay brick and limestone, with 3 ft stone footings. The modern-day bawn was constructed in the 18th century, incorporating the original south-east flanker tower. In the south-west, there is a brick tower, however it is thought that said tower was only built as a replacement of a timber structure. The bawn is a B+-listed monument.