Bellarena (derived from French ''belle'' "beautiful" +

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''arena'' "sand, strand"; is a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

and

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

in County Londonderry,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is on the A2 coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine, north of Limavady. The land was settled in the mid-17th century by a

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

gentleman, William Gage, who bought the lease of the estate – then called Ballymargy from the Irish meaning "town of the market" – from the Lord

Bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, b ...

. In the 2001 census the population was 291. The village lies within Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area and the Binevenagh

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

, with open views eastwards to the scarp slope of

Binevenagh Binevenagh () is a mountain in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It marks the western extent of the Antrim Plateau formed around 60 million years ago by molten lava. The plateau and steep cliffs extend for over 6 miles across the peninsula o ...

. The village gets its name from the Earl Bishop of Derry.

Features

The village is a minor service centre providing retail, community and recreational facilities for the local rural population. There was a primary school, which was opened in 1861 by the landowner for his workers but closed in 2018, due to the dwindling number of pupils. The local police station in the 1960s is now used as a field centre. It has had considerable growth in recent years, with new private housing development and improved commercial facilities. The main concentration of development is the large Drumavalley and Oughtymoyle public housing estates and the recently completed private development of 18 semi-detached 3 and 4 bedroom houses at Carriage Court.

Tourism

Bellarena has benefited from being close to a range of important tourism facilities including the recreational facilities, Blue Flag beach and caravan parks at Benone, the

Magilligan Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part ...

to Greencastle (

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

) ferry and the nearby long-established Ulster Gliding Club at Bellarena Airfield.

Transport

Bellarena is located close to the main railway line between

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and Derry/Londonderry and is served by

Bellarena railway station Bellarena railway station serves the village of Bellarena and the broader Limavady area in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The current two-platform station was opened in 2016, replacing the original single-platform 1853 station located on ...

, which was opened on 18 July 1853 by the

Londonderry and Coleraine Railway The Londonderry & Coleraine Railway is a railway line between the cities of Derry and Coleraine in County Londonderry, built by the Londonderry & Coleraine Railway Company (L&CR). The company operated the line independently for seven years befor ...

(later part of the Northern Counties Committee). It was closed for goods traffic from 4 January 1965.

Education

*Bellarena Primary School - now closed *Magilligan Field Centre

References

{{authority control Villages in County Londonderry Causeway Coast and Glens district