Cloughmills
| Cloghmills | |
| County Antrim | |
|---|---|
 Ballycregagh Road in Cloghmills | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | D097184 |
| Location: | 55°0’4"N, 6°17’10"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,309 (2011) |
| Post town: | Ballymena |
| Postcode: | BT44 |
| Dialling code: | 028 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Causeway Coast & Glens |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North Antrim |
Cloughmills, otherwise written Cloghmills[1] is a village in County Antrim. It is to be found nine miles south-east of Ballymoney and ten miles north of Ballymena. The village had a population of 1,309 recorded in the 2011 Census.
Name
The name Cloughmills is a combination of the Irish word cloch (meaning "stone") and the English word 'mills', referring to the linen mill around which the village grew. An older spelling was Clochmills.[2]
The village
Cloghmills is a local service centre for its surrounding rural hinterland with a good range of retail, commercial, community and educational facilities. Recreational facilities are, however, limited, relative to the size of the village. A substantial number of private sector dwellings have been built over the past decade, which reflect its growing residential function.
Three private housing developments have been built in the village, substantially increasing the population to approximately 2,000 by 2008.
The Cloughmills Community Action Team, made up of local residents, is in the process of reviving a five-year action plan to develop the village for the all who live there, and promote and develop local business initiatives.
At Cloughmills is one of Ulster's leading department stores, Logans of Cloughmills.
History
The industrial heritage of the village can be seen from the old linen mill which is located at the bottom end of the main street beside the medical centre. The mill was fed by the Cloughwater (also known as the Cloughmills Water) river which flows through the southern end of the village. This river feeds into the River Main.
In 1910, corn and flax scutching were the main industries and an Agricultural and Dairy Society and Co-operative Poultry and Egg Society had been established. The population was about 200.[3]
The former main employer of the village, Cooneen Textiles, a clothing firm, closed down in 1999 with the loss of 128 jobs. The premises changed hands and Cooneen was replaced by a haulage company called Reid Transport. In November 2007 Reid Transport ceased trading with loss of 200 jobs following serious financial difficulties. The African Clothing Company took up residence in the vacated premises later changing its name to All-Tex Recyclers.
Churches
- Church of Ireland: Killagan Parish Church (just outside the village)
- Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster: Cloughmills Free Presbyterian Church
- Reformed Presbyterian: Cloughmills Reformed Presbyterian Church
- Presbyterian Church in Ireland: Ballyweaney Presbyterian Church
- Roman Catholic: Church of the Sacred Heart
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Cloughmills) |
References
- ↑ Northern Area Plan 2016 - Ballymoney Borough: Cloghmills
- ↑ Tour through Ireland: Particularly the interior and least known parts, Volume 2. Printed for R.P. Moore, 1813.
- ↑ "Cloughmills, County Antrim". Belfast and Ulster Towns Directory for 1910 (Library Ireland). http://www.libraryireland.com/UlsterDirectory1910/Cloughmills.php. Retrieved 15 July 2008.