Overview
One concrete dome is all that’s left of the working parts of RAF Limavady, and it’s a rare thing: one of only six such gunnery-training domes surviving in the UK, and the only one in Northern Ireland. The airfield around it, in the village of Aghanloo just north of Limavady town, was set up in 1940 as a satellite station for RAF Coastal Command and played a key part in protecting Atlantic convoys during the Second World War. Most of the base has since gone back to farming or industry; the dome is now the centre of a major restoration that will turn it into a community and events space.
Be clear about what you’ll find if you go now: the dome is a building site, closed to the public until autumn 2026, and the most you can do is view the exterior from the roadside. Until then, the visit is really the wider wartime landscape – the memorial in town and the aircraft wreck on the mudflats below.
Wartime history and the trainer dome
RAF Limavady sat where it could support the Battle of the Atlantic. The airfield hosted a steady rotation of squadrons flying Avro Ansons, Lockheed Hudsons, Bristol Beauforts and Vickers Wellingtons on anti-submarine patrol and convoy protection, and it was a training hub, notably home to No. 7 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit from 1942 to 1944.
Losses were high, and the reason was the mountain. Binevenagh stood in the line of sight for both take-off and the landing circuit, and crews often had to clear it in cloud – they nicknamed it ‘Ben Twitch’. The cost is written into the area still: at Christ Church on Main Street in Limavady, a memorial shaped like the tail fin of an Avro Shackleton commemorates those lost, and local churches hold the graves of servicemen and women from the base. On the mudflats near the Ballymacran banks, the remains of a Chance Vought Corsair, JT693, which ditched in October 1944, can still be seen at low tide.
The standout structure is the concrete and steel trainer dome, built in 1942 – one of only six surviving in the United Kingdom, and the sole survivor in Northern Ireland. Designed as an anti-aircraft gunnery trainer, it used audio-visual technology well ahead of its time: trainees sat inside and fired replica guns at projected images of enemy aircraft moving across half of the interior wall, while the other half was lined with sound-absorbing material to kill the echo, for a genuinely immersive simulation before crews took to the air.
After the war the airfield passed to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm as RNAS Limavady, staying in service until it was sold off in 1958.
Restoration and the future visit
After decades of disuse, the dome is finally getting the conservation it needs. Listed as a scheduled monument (SMR LDY 009:048) and previously on the Heritage at Risk Register, it now has a £1 million investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, delivered through the Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership.
A ceremonial sod-cutting in February 2026 marked the start of work by specialist contractors Devity Contract Services. The approved design follows a ‘curated decay’ approach, keeping the dome’s wartime character while making it structurally safe and accessible. The build includes:
- a new internal steel shell to stabilise the original concrete
- a tensile-fabric outer covering that keeps the dome’s distinctive silhouette
- a modular annex inspired by wartime Nissen huts, with a staff office, accessible WC and a small retail kiosk
- improved access and parking from Dowland Road
When it opens in autumn 2026, visitors will step into a fully restored space with a 360-degree projection system that recreates the original training environment, alongside exhibitions on the region’s WWI and WWII defence history. The dome will also work as a flexible community venue for education, heritage talks and local events.
Part of the Atlantic Defence Trail
The restored dome will be a key anchor on the emerging Atlantic Defence Trail, a developing heritage route that links coastal forts, pillboxes and military installations across the north-west, telling the wider story of how Lough Foyle and the surrounding coast were fortified during the war. With US troops and supply convoys funnelling through Northern Ireland, the area needed a ‘concrete crust’ of defences, from anti-boat barriers to radar stations. The dome is a tangible link to that period, alongside nearby sites like the anti-aircraft battery at Magilligan Point and the former RAF base at Ballykelly.
Getting there and practical information
By car – from the A2, turn onto the B192 towards Aghanloo, then follow signs to the public road opposite Dowland Road, where the dome’s exterior is currently visible. Once works are complete the site will have its own parking; for now there is free parking on the adjacent industrial estate, but respect the private property signage.
Public transport – buses connect Limavady town centre to Derry, and a short taxi covers the 3km to Aghanloo. The nearest railway stations are Derry/Londonderry and Coleraine.
Accessibility – the future facility will be fully accessible, with level pathways, step-free entry to the dome and an accessible WC in the new annex.
Current access – the site is in private ownership and closed to the public while works progress; the exterior can be viewed safely from the roadside. The restored dome is due to open in autumn 2026, with opening hours, booking and exhibition details announced closer to launch via the Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust website and social channels.
Admission – no admission price has been set; pricing and opening hours are expected closer to the autumn 2026 launch.
Nearby
- Benone Beach – a Blue Flag sandy beach backed by extensive dunes, good for coastal walks, surfing and family picnics. (Benone)
- Binevenagh – a limestone ridge and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with wide views over Lough Foyle and the Atlantic coast. (Binevenagh)
- RAF Ballykelly – a former Coastal Command base that worked alongside Limavady, now a heritage site for aviation history. (Ballykelly)
For now the dome is under active construction, so the Binevenagh & Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership Facebook page is the best way to follow progress ahead of the autumn 2026 opening.