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Gracehill Moravian Settlement

Nestled on the outskirts of Ballymena, near Galgorm and tucked away from the main road, lies the remarkable Moravian settlement of Gracehill, waiting to be explored. Founded by the Moravian Church in 1759, Gracehill holds the distinction of being Northern Ireland's first Conservation Area. It is uniquely the only complete Moravian settlement in Ireland, boasting a well-preserved collection of buildings and an active Moravian community. The village’s structured layout and distinctive Georgian architecture have remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.

For the past two decades, local residents have campaigned tirelessly to protect and promote Gracehill's unique heritage. Their efforts have been rewarded with Gracehill being recognised as Northern Ireland’s first UNESCO Cultural World Heritage site.

The Moravian Church Settlements Transnational World Heritage site consists of 4 component parts: Herrnhut in Saxony, Germany; Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, United States; Christiansfeld in Southern Jutland, Denmark; and Gracehill in Northern Ireland, UK.

All World Heritage sites are understood to have ‘Outstanding Universal Value’. They are considered important not only to local people or to a country but to the world – to all of humanity. Gracehill was the first Conservation Area designated in Northern Ireland in 1974, so it has been considered a place of special architectural and historic interest by the Government of Northern Ireland for a long while. Its fine state of preservation also suggests that it has been appreciated by its own residents and surrounding community for much longer than that. World Heritage, however, is something altogether greater. This means that the international community, in the form of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has included a site on a list of the most important historic and natural places on earth.

To learn more about Gracehill's journey to UNESCO status, visit

this link

In the coming years, visitor infrastructure will be enhanced to accommodate increased tourism. Meanwhile, visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour around the village to appreciate its unique buildings and architecture, or an official guided tour by a certified tour guide (

book here

Highlights include:

• Gracehill Old School: Dating back to 1765, this building now hosts a welcoming restaurant, a Museum Room, and a Schoolroom. The Museum Room details the history of the Gracehill settlement and features an exhibition of lacework. The building is fully accessible for individuals with disabilities.
• The Moravian Church and God’s Acre: Central to the village, the church is accompanied by a burial ground known as God’s Acre, divided by a central path into two plots – men to the left and women to the right. Reflecting the Moravian belief in equality in death, all headstones are of the same shape and design, laid nearly flat on the ground.

More buildings of interest can be seen in the map below.

The Moravian community in Gracehill embraced values that promoted a communal way of life, with access to a village doctor, education, and fresh running water in many homes.

Galgorm achieves gold status with Green Tourism and Green Meetings Gold certification for meetings and events.

Northern Ireland’s award-winning luxury hotel, Galgorm, has been recognised for its sustainability standards by Green Tourism.

Galgorm’s latest green credentials recognise the sustainable practices of the hotel across a wide range of areas spanning environmental initiatives, procurement processes, community projects, employee wellbeing and the hotel’s support of active travel initiatives.

Green Tourism champions sustainable business across the globe, promoting greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate, by offering advice on reducing energy use, saving water, waste disposal, ethical buying, community initiatives, biodiversity and more. Its awards certification programme recognises organisations that work responsibly, ethically, and sustainably.

In addition, the new Green Meetings standard recognises sustainable practices specific to meetings and events. This new standard further provides reassurance to clients and customers of Galgorm’s commitment to sustainability.

Speaking of the awards, Tara Moore, Head of the Sustainability Committee for Galgorm, commented: “We are delighted to achieve these awards from Green Tourism. They not only convey our commitment to sustainability, but also highlight the hard work, time, and investment from our wider team in this arena. We are continuing to invest in this area as a key pillar of our business going forward.”

Andrea Nicholas, CEO from Green Tourism, said: “In their application for these awards, Galgorm demonstrated an exceptional commitment to sustainable practices. They are leading the way in the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland, as the first hotel to have achieve this award. I have no doubt they will hold tight to this recognition, with many more promising initiatives to come.”

Last year, Galgorm unveiled a detailed plan of action to achieve carbon neutral status by 2030 in a bid to become the first premier hospitality group on the island of Ireland to go fully green as part of a new sustainability commitment.

Comprising the global award-winning Galgorm with its Thermal Village & Spa, the Rabbit Hotel & Retreat in Templepatrick and the Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, as well as two Belfast city centre restaurants, Fratelli and Parisien, Galgorm Collection’s new Green Policy 10-Point Plan will cement its position as one of the UK and Ireland’s most successful and ambitious hospitality leaders.

Galgorm ‘goes green’ on St. Patrick’s Day with launch of new Sustainability Plan with the aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Northern Ireland’s Galgorm Collection today unveiled a detailed plan of action to achieve carbon neutral status by 2030 in a bid to become the first premier hospitality group on the island of Ireland to go fully green as part of a new sustainability commitment.

Comprising the global award-winning Galgorm with its Thermal Village & Spa, the Rabbit Hotel & Retreat in Templepatrick and the Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, as well as two Belfast city centre restaurants, Fratelli and Parisien, Galgorm Collection’s new Green Policy 10-Point Plan will cement its position as one of the UK and Ireland’s most successful and ambitious hospitality leaders.

From waste management to water use, energy and transport, every area of the Collection’s operations will be positively impacted by its initial first-stage plans to 2026 – ultimately becoming carbon neutral across the entire estate by 2030.

As the largest property in the Collection spanning 380 acres, Galgorm is currently progressing installation projects to commence later this year in both solar and hydro power, harnessing the power of the River Maine which flows through Galgorm Estate.

An additional 3,000 native trees will also be added at Galgorm with a focus on improving biodiversity in the area. Galgorm is also engaged in activity with a number of partners in the local area to further enhance green space and open up access to the estate with additional walkways and cycle networks.

Galgorm Collection has also pledged to introduce a fleet of zero-emission vehicles and to increase the number of EV chargers available across all its properties.

With a focus on its guests, the comprehensive plan also prioritises a sustained focus on healthy living, wellbeing and diversity. Key initiatives include introducing new outdoor pursuits at Galgorm, developing a new £250,000 state-of-the-art fitness suite at The Rabbit Hotel & Retreat, developing an outdoor spa at The Old Inn and introducing a refreshed wellbeing programme and revamped menus focusing on healthy eating across all properties.

Commenting on the launch, Tara Moore Head of Spa Operations and Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee said:

“Carefully considered and consulted at every level, our sustainability pledge and plan of action will realise our goal to create an exciting, fully sustainable destination that works for the environment, our guests, our team and communities.

We are open, transparent and ambitious in our plans and we are committed to continually reviewing and reporting on our progress and successes in the months and years ahead as part of our shared cleaner, greener future.”

At the heart of Galgorm’s ongoing and established plans is a focus on supporting local communities. From litter picks to charity fundraising events in aid of partners the Simon Community and Community Rescue Service, Galgorm’s team of over 800 employees are actively engaged in a programme to give back and support communities across Northern Ireland.

In April 2020, Galgorm donated £750,000 worth of experience vouchers to the Northern Health & Social Care Trust frontline staff in recognition for their hard work, bravery, and commitment to helping patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, Galgorm Collection confirmed the rollout of an enhanced benefits package for all eligible team members last October, including a £1 million investment into premium private health care cover over the next five years as part of its ongoing commitment to investing in its people.