| Whiteabbey | |
| Type: | townland |
| Translit Lang1 Type: | Derivation: |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Meaning: |
| Translit Lang2 Type: | Derivation: |
| Translit Lang2 Type1: | Meaning: |
| Pushpin Map: | Northern Ireland#United Kingdom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Whiteabbey shown within Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates: | 54.6741°N -5.8993°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Name: | United Kingdom |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Ireland |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Antrim |
| Subdivision Type3: | Barony |
| Subdivision Name3: | Belfast Lower |
| Subdivision Type4: | Civil parish |
| Subdivision Name4: | Carnmoney |
| Leader Title: | Council |
| Leader Name: | Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council |
| Parts Type: | Settlements |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Newtownabbey |
| Area Total Ha: | 150.05 |
| Area Total Acre: | 370.79 |
Whiteabbey is a townland (of 406 acres) in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.[1]
The original village of Whiteabbey stood at the foot of the Three Mile Water, on the shore of Belfast Lough. In 1958, it and six other villages were joined to form the new district of Newtownabbey. Whiteabbey is part of the civil parish of Carnmoney and the historic barony of Belfast Lower.[2] [1]
Whiteabbey took its name from the medieval abbey of Druim La Croix, which stood near present-day Whiteabbey Hospital. The abbey was a daughter house of Dryburgh Abbey in Scotland and belonged to the Premonstratensian Order, who were popularly known as the White Canons. Parts of the ruined chapter house remained visible until the 20th century, but the last traces of the building were removed in 1926.[3]
In the first half of the 19th century, the village of Whiteabbey was home to a large bleach works, and was an important landing site for coal shipments bound for Belfast. Remnants of the old pier can still be seen in Belfast Lough. The importance of Whiteabbey declined after the channel into Belfast Harbour was widened and straightened, allowing larger ships to reach the city directly.
Abbeylands, a Victorian house in Whiteabbey belonging to Sir Hugh McCalmont, was used as a training ground by the Ulster Volunteers during the Home Rule Crisis. In 1914, the building was torched by Suffragettes in response to Edward Carson's opposition to votes for women, causing £20,000 of damage.[4] [5]
In 1952, one of Northern Ireland's most controversial murders took place in Whiteabbey when Patricia Curran, the 19-year-old daughter of prominent judge and politician Sir Lancelot Curran, was found stabbed near her home, Glen House.[6]
Whiteabbey, together with Whitewell, Whitehouse, Jordanstown, Monkstown, Carnmoney, and Glengormley, were the seven villages that formed Newtownabbey when it gained district council status on 1 April 1958.
The Glen, which follows the Three Mile Water up to the Bleach Green railway viaducts, is a local walking route.
Whiteabbey is close to the main shopping area of Newtownabbey, including the Abbey Centre.[7] Whiteabbey Hospital is also located near the village.
The area is served by Whiteabbey railway station on the Belfast to Larne line. The station opened in April 1848. Although it lies outside Belfast, the area is also served by the Translink Metro service.[12]