Stranocum Heritage

Stranocum
20th March 2019
Stranocum: get involved!
20th March 2019

Stranocum Heritage

Project Attributes

Project:

Stranocum

Owner:

Ballymoney Community Archive

Date:

20th March 2019


Raths

There are two ring forts, or raths, near the village, which are the remains of fortified settlements built between 400 and 1000AD. Concealed beneath one of these raths is a souterrain, an underground passageway and chamber thought either to have been used as a food store or a hiding place during attack.

The War Memorial

This was probably the first War Memorial to be erected in Northern Ireland following the First World War. The Memorial was in place by April 1920 and was paid for through local subscriptions.

World War II Plane Crash 

On November 24, 1944 during a night navigation exercise to Rathlin Island, a Wellington bomber from Shawbury, England developed engine trouble.  When the pilot attempted a forced landing by moonlight, the aircraft lost altitude over an orchard at Stranocum House, sheered off several tree tops and crashed at the corner of the walled orchard.  Though the plane caught fire, all five crew members survived, thanks to the staff of Stranocum Hall, who helped pull them out of the wreckage and later received a letter of thanks from the airforce for their bravery.