Gracehill World Heritage bid enters new phase with submission delivery to UNESCO
Wednesday 31 May 2023
The campaign to secure World Heritage Site status for Gracehill in Co. Antrim has entered a new phase with the submission of the formal nomination dossier to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
A copy of the dossier, which makes the in-depth case for designating the picturesque village - located on the rural outskirts of Ballymena - as Northern Ireland’s first ever cultural World Heritage Site, was presented to Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Noel Williams, this week by David Johnston, Chair of Gracehill Old School Trust, alongside representatives from Department for Communities Historic Environment Division and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Earlier in 2023, documentation was formally submitted to UNESCO to nominate three Moravian settlements which are collaborating to seek World Heritage Site status.
The joint bid, entitled ‘Moravian Church Settlements’, includes Bethlehem, United States; Herrnhut, Germany; and Gracehill Village, near Ballymena in Northern Ireland. The transnational bid also connects to the Moravian settlement of Christiansfeld, Denmark which achieved World Heritage inscription from UNESCO in 2015.
The picturesque village, located on the rural outskirts of Ballymena, was laid out in the 18th century as a settlement of the Moravian Church and was designated as Northern Ireland’s first Conservation Area in 1975. The Gracehill settlement is an early example of town planning reflecting the timeless values of education, equality, industry, tolerance and spirituality that have been at the heart of this community since 1759.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Noel Williams, said: “This is a historic time for Gracehill Village, the Mid and East Antrim Borough, and indeed all of Northern Ireland. A first cultural World Heritage site for Northern Ireland would be an unparalleled achievement in terms of the opportunities for domestic and international tourism, as well as civic pride within the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. I know how tirelessly everyone involved in this bid has worked to bring it to this stage and I thank them for their dedication and commitment.”
The submission of the nomination documents follows the formal signing by the United States Government, the lead party in the transnational bid, on 5 January 2023. This allowed the nomination dossier - nomination document, inventory of world-wide sites, comparative analysis, designated maps and photographs - to be filed with UNESCO, which was completed in Paris on 18 January 2023.
Manus Deery, Assistant Director, Department for Communities Historic Environment Division, added: “Gracehill is an important part of our collective heritage. It is an outstanding example of a settlement based on international ideas but expressed in our local materials and historic techniques. If inscribed by UNESCO, it will remind us all of the range and quality of the heritage that we have here. It will also signal to the world that there is much more to Northern Ireland than they expect.’
Dr David Johnston, Chair of Gracehill Old School Trust, said: “Gracehill has been a good news story for 250 years and for the last 20 years we have been working with international partners to achieve World Heritage status. The prize of World Heritage designation would be hugely significant for tourism, the economy, regeneration, job creation and perhaps even reconciliation, whilst enriching the profile for the whole region. This is a unique opportunity to achieve something of lasting significance that everyone can be proud of and share in, with substantial potential benefit now and for generations to come.”
Assessment of the nomination will take place over the summer months of 2023, and, if successful, inscription is anticipated to be approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2024.