Gracehill is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It lies about 3 km from Ballymena

Ballymena

Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....

 and is in the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Ballykennedy (from ). It is part of the Borough of Ballymena.

The village was founded as a Moravian Settlement in the east of Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 in 1765. The Moravians were a religious group of German origin who had settled here in 1746. The name of the village reflects the religious convictions of its founders. The Moravian church was founded in 1759. A plaque on the church wall commemorates John Cennick

John Cennick

John Cennick was an early Methodist and Moravian evangelist and hymnwriter. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England to an Anglican family and raised in the Church of England....

 (1718–1755) the first Moravian evangelist in mid Antrim who arrived in Ballymena on 9 August 1746.

Life in the village nowadays is, of course, very different to what it was in the 18th century, but the layout of the buildings and the unique Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 style of architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 remain very much the same.
The Moravian Church remains a central focal point. It faces the square and is flanked by the Manse and the Warden's House. The Brothers and Sisters Walks, on either side of the Church, meet at the burial ground or "God's Acre

God's Acre

God's Acre is an ancient Germanic designation for a burial ground. In his poem "God's-Acre," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attributes the term to ancient Saxons.-In Christianity:...

", which remains in use. The Moravians were renowned for high standards of education and there were day and boarding schools for both boys and girls for some time.

The village was designated a Conservation area

Conservation area

A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...

 in 1975. It is the winner of many Best Kept Village Awards including the Europa Nostra

Europa Nostra

Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, is the representative platform of 250 heritage NGOs active in 45 countries across Europe...

 Award.

See also

• List of villages in Northern Ireland
• List of towns in Northern Ireland