World Heritage Bid for Gracehill Moravian Church and Settlement Moves Forward.
At a meeting on Monday 6th August The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Councillor William McCaughey welcomed World Heritage representatives to Gracehill in County Antrim on Monday 16th August. This was as part of a two-day fact-finding visit to support the ongoing preparation of a UNESCO World Heritage application for the village. Gracehill Old School Trust has joined in an international bid for World Heritage Status from UNESCO for their village, with partners in Herrnhut, Saxony, Germany and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Mid & East Antrim Borough Council is supporting their bid.
Chairman of the Gracehill Old School Trust, David Johnston said: "We are delighted to be taking the next steps on the journey towards potentially achieving World Heritage Status, which would be hugely significant not just for Gracehill and the wider Moravian family but also for the Borough and Northern Ireland as a whole. “This is good news for everyone and something we can all take pride in."
Barry Gamble, World Heritage consultant; Ms Friederike Hansell, World Heritage Desk Officer, Saxon State Office for the Conservation of Monuments; Bishop Sarah Groves, Gracehill Moravian Church; as well as representatives from Gracehill Old School Trust, Department for Communities Historic Environment Division, and Mid & East Antrim Borough Council all took part in the visit.