Whitehead () is a small seaside
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
on the east coast of
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, lying almost midway between the towns of
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
and
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory)[Larne/Latharna]
Placenames Database of Ireland. is a to ...
. It lies within the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Templecorran, the historic
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Belfast Lower
Belfast Lower is a barony in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. To its east lies the east-Antrim coast and Belfast Lough, and it is bordered by four other baronies: Belfast Upper to the south, Carrickfergus to the east, Antrim Upper to the we ...
, and is part of
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Before the
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...
its name was recorded as both Whitehead and Kinbaine ().
Located at the base of Muldersleigh Hill, Whitehead lies in a small bay between the limestone cliffs of Whitehead and the black volcanic cliff of Blackhead, with the
Blackhead Lighthouse on top, marking the entrance to the
Belfast Lough.
Whitehead is about from
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
. On the opposite coast of
Belfast Lough, the
Copeland Islands,
Bangor and part of the
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
coastline, are clearly visible.
It had a population of 3,802 in the
2011 Census.
Whitehead sometimes known as 'The Town With No Streets', as there are no roadways with the suffix "Street" in their name.
History
In late Victorian and Edwardian times, Whitehead was a seaside holiday destination developed by and travelled from Belfast and the surrounding area each year.
Whitehead is a Victorian railway village with a preserved
conservation area, including the railway station. It is home to the
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, County Antrim Yacht Club and the Council owned Bentra Golf Course, as well as being the starting point for the
Gobbins Path
The Gobbins is a cliff-face running from Whitehead to Portmuck Harbour along the eastern coast of Islandmagee, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the Causeway Coastal Route. The Gobbins cliff path runs across bridges, past caves and through a ...
.
The town also was home to an aerodrome during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
which housed two airships.
An Irish railway engineer called
Berkeley Deane Wise took this tourism endeavour to the next level, creating innovative new paid-for attractions that would encourage visitors to use the railway company's services. Just south of
Gobbins Path
The Gobbins is a cliff-face running from Whitehead to Portmuck Harbour along the eastern coast of Islandmagee, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the Causeway Coastal Route. The Gobbins cliff path runs across bridges, past caves and through a ...
, Wise helped transform the small hamlet of Whitehead into a busy holiday resort. He designed and built a bandstand, ladies and gents bathing boxes, a 'children’s corner', a slipway and a pavilion with 500 seats.
Whitehead received a silver at the
Britain in Bloom awards in 2005 and 2006, and a bronze in 2007 with the local Brighter Whitehead group planting many of the flowers.
In 2012, Northern Ireland's only Jubilee Wood was planted at Whitehead to celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Blackhead Coastal Path
The
Blackhead Path was built by the Victorians in 1892, partly funded by the railway company, to attract day trippers and holiday makers to Whitehead which was at the time a growing tourist destination and resort.
Wise also built a new path
Blackhead Path along the coast from Whitehead to the lighthouse at Blackhead, overlooking the town, in 1892. To reach the lighthouse he added several bridges and a tunnel. Wise soon had plans for a much more elaborate path built on sheer cliffs a few miles to the north: The
Gobbins Path
The Gobbins is a cliff-face running from Whitehead to Portmuck Harbour along the eastern coast of Islandmagee, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the Causeway Coastal Route. The Gobbins cliff path runs across bridges, past caves and through a ...
was about to be born. This free accessible path is a seaside walk past Sunshine House, around
Blackhead Lighthouse and along the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
cliffs of
Islandmagee
Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rur ...
.
In 2018, the pathway was closed due to health and safety issues and a possibility of severe landslip. The
Mid and East Antrim Council started a full renovation of the whole path in 2019. The path was reopened in July 2020. It was partly closed again 2021 after a landslip.
Education
One primary school exists within the town - Whitehead Primary School. Another school, Lourdes Primary School, operated until June 2011.
Whitehead High School, an all-girls secondary school, was present until its closure in 1986. It is now the site of a nursing home.
Churches
Churches in the area include Whitehead Baptist Church, Whitehead Presbyterian Church, St Patrick's Church of Ireland, Whitehead Methodist Church, Our Lady of Lourdes (Roman Catholic), and Whitehead Congregational Church.
Sport
Sports clubs in Whitehead include a golf club, running club and bowling club. The latter, a
lawn bowls club, were 6-time winners of NIBA Division 1, including in 2015.
Founded in 1976 local
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club, Whitehead Eagles FC, play in the
Northern Amateur Football League
The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in Northern Ireland. It contains 13 divisions. These comprise four intermediate sections: ...
having competed initially in the Larne and District League, winning the Larne Mineral Water Cup before progressing to the Dunmurray League where they achieved promotions in consecutive seasons and winning the Cyril Lord Shield .
County Antrim Yacht Club, based near Whitehead, offers dinghy sailing and RYA courses.
People
*''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' actress
Jackie Woodburne lived in Whitehead before her family emigrated to Australia.
*
Sting (Gordon Sumner) lived & holidayed with ex-wife
Frances Tomelty in Whitehead during the mid-1970s. The wooden house on the coastal path that they holidayed in was originally a temperance hotel and has recently been replaced with a new building. He was also known to have stayed on the top road to the lighthouse and Chester Ave.
*
Keith Gillespie
Keith Robert Gillespie ( ; born 18 February 1975) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who plays as a winger for FC Mindwell in the Mid-Ulster Football League.
He began his career at Manchester United after winning the FA Yo ...
(Northern Ireland footballer) went to Whitehead Primary School.
Railways
Whitehead railway station is on the
Larne Harbour to
Belfast Lanyon Place and
Belfast Grand Central line. Located on the
NI Railways network being part of the
Belfast Suburban Rail as well as the home of the
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.
Demography
Whitehead had a population of 3,802 people at the
2011 census,
[ an increase of 2.7% on the 2001 census figure of 3,702.] Of these:
*17.8% were aged under 16 years and 22.2% were aged 65 and over
*17.5% were from a Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
background and 69.2% were from a Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
or other Christian background
*4.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.
See also
* List of localities in Northern Ireland by population
* List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of towns and villages in Northern Ireland. For a list sorted by population, see the list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The towns of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry are also classed as cities (see city sta ...
References
Other Sources
Whitehead Community Association
Culture Northern Ireland
{{authority control
Towns in County Antrim
Civil parish of Templecorran
Railway towns in Northern Ireland