| Whitehead | |
| Irish: an Cionn Bán | |
The shorefront |
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Whitehead shown within Northern Ireland |
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| Population | 3,702 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| District | Carrickfergus |
| County | County Antrim |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARRICKFERGUS |
| Postcode district | BT38 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | East Antrim |
| NI Assembly | East Antrim |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Antrim | |
Whitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council. Before the Plantation of Ulster its name was recorded as both Whitehead and Kinbaine (from Irish: an Cionn Bán meaning "the white head").[1]
Located at the base of Muldersleigh Hill, at the entrance to Belfast Lough, 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 Lough. It had a population of 3,702 in the 2001 Census. Whitehead is unique in that there are no streets with the suffix "Street" in their name, giving rise to the nickname 'The Town With No Streets'.
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One primary school exists within the town:
Lourdes Primary School operated until June 2011.
In late Victorian and Edwardian times, Whitehead was a popular seaside holiday destination and visitors flocked from Belfast and the surrounding area each year. The town also was home to an aerodrome during the First World War which housed two airships. Whitehead is a Victorian railway village with a well preserved conservation area, including the railway station. It is home to the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland,[2] County Antrim Yacht Club and the Council owned Bentra Golf Course, as well as being the starting point for the popular Gobbins Path seaside walk past Sunshine House, around Blackhead Lighthouse and along the Irish Sea cliffs of Islandmagee.Whitehead is about 20 miles from Belfast. On the opposite coast of Belfast Lough, the Copeland Islands, Bangor and part of the County Down coastline, are clearly visible. Whitehead received a silver at the Britain in Bloom awards in 2005 and 2006, and a bronze in 2007. The town's Brighter Whitehead group planted many of the flowers.
For more information see The Troubles in Whitehead, County Antrim, which includes a list of incidents in Whitehead during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities. The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was particularly active in the twon.
Transition Town Whitehead want to make Whitehead an example of a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place for visitors and to have a glowing reputation, not only in Northern Ireland but beyond. They would like Whitehead to be a town where local businesses would sell more locally produced food, where the local people could restore land and have local residents pay less for light and heat.[3]
Transition Town Whitehead are currently one of the six groups competing in the NIE Energy BIG Energy Saving Challenge, which is an exciting community based energy saving project in which six communities from across Northern Ireland compete over a year to win £20,000 worth of funding.[4]
Transition Town
Whitehead is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,702 people living in Whitehead. Of these:
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service