Fact sheet
The Bovedy meteorite fell as two stones on April 25th 1969. The smaller fragment (513 g) crashed through the asbestos roof of the police central stores in Sprucefield, County Down on the outskirts of Lisburn, while the larger fragment (4.95 kg) was recovered from a farm at Bovedy over 60 km away. Bovedy is close to the town of Kilrea, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
The Bovedy meteorite is classified as an L3 chondritic meteorite meaning it has a low iron content (5-10%) and distinct chondrules (olivine and pyroxene mainly). Chondrules are thought to have formed from the condensation of hot gases in the solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. These chondrules are clearly visible in the hand specimen.
See also:
http://www.bimsociety.org/bim2.shtml
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=5121
Specimen: BM1975,M12
This Collection consists of meteorites that have fallen in Great Britain and Ireland and which are now preserved in museum collections. We have also included samples of the two known meteorite impact deposits in the UK.
The Natural History Museum in London offers more information about meteorites and meteorite categories; there is more information about its meteorite collections here.