Gracehill: Unesco status could benefit whole borough, mayor says

Special status for a County Antrim village could bring tourism to the whole area, the mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has said.

Gracehill village, which was founded 264 years ago, has moved a step closer to securing World Heritage Site status.

Unesco has been formally asked to consider awarding the cultural title to the village near Ballymena.

The application is part of a joint bid with Bethlehem in Pennsylvania in the United States and Herrnhut in Germany.

All three sites are Moravian Church Settlements.

While life in Gracehill is very different now to what it was in 1759, the church remains a focal point in the square.

The picturesque village continues to have an active Moravian Community with its own bishop.

"When you look at it now it's a beautiful quaint little village but in its time it was so modern," said the Right Reverend Sarah Groves.

"The first school here was for girls, the buildings were all of a really good standard. People would have wanted to come here."

Many of the traditions have changed, but the Georgian style buildings include the manse, schools and the old Warden's House remain intact.

Signposts also show where the Brothers' and Sisters' Walks, on either side of the church, meet at the burial ground, known as God's acre.

"Yes the village was separated in many ways, the single women would have lived together and the single men would have lived together but the Moravians were very keen on marriage and family life," Bishop Groves said.

"We sometimes concentrate on the separateness but actually they were very keen on families."

Mayor Noel Williams said the status would benefit Mid and East Antrim by raising the global profile of the borough.

He said it would support the economy and have a positive effect on education, quality of life and civic pride.

"The purpose of World Heritage is to help recognise and preserve the named area for present and future generations. Gracehill is an area of our borough that we are very proud of and for that reason we would champion any plans that preserve it," he said.

David Johnson, chairman of the Gracehill Trust said the submission to Unesco was hugely significant.

"Gracehill has been a good news story for 250 years and for the past 20 years we have been working with international partners to achieve World Heritage status," he said.

"We really took a step forward when the United States government came on board and supported their local settlement Bethlehem. That has taken us all forward," he added.

The Giant's Causeway was designated as a Natural World Heritage site in 1986, but if successful Gracehill would be the first in Northern Ireland to be granted Cultural World Heritage status.

"This would be Northern Ireland's first cultural inscription," Mr Johnson said.

"It's quite a high mark to achieve but working with our international partners we're really excited this is something within our grasp."

The Unesco nomination is being led by the United States in conjunction with the German and UK governments.

Department for Communities permanent secretary Colum Boyle said the wider community would benefit culturally and economically and getting status would "further protect an important piece of history for future generations."

UK Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson said Gracehill offered a fascinating insight into the history of the Moravian Church and its community of worshippers.

"The village of Gracehill would be a worthy recipient of the first cultural Unesco World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland, complementing the natural heritage of the Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast," he said.

The transnational nomination will be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List by the Unesco World Heritage Committee next year.