Annahilt

Coordinates: 54°26′15″N 6°00′07″W / 54.43763°N 6.00197°W / 54.43763; -6.00197

Annahilt / Anahilt (from Irish: Eanach Eilte) is a village and civil parish in north County Down, Northern Ireland. It is 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) south of Lisburn, and about 14 miles south-west of Belfast, on the main road between Ballynahinch and Hillsborough. In the 2001 Census the village had a population of 1,148. Annahilt has a distinctive drumlin setting, with a small wooded estate on a ridge to the west, and panoramic views on the approaches to the village.

Annahilt's has a primary school, shop(a mace, hair dressers and part-time post office), a Scout Hall, an Orange Hall, a residential care home and a park. There is a business park to the north, on the Glebe Road. Annahilt also has a three-star caravan site, known as the 'Lakeside View Caravan Park', on the Magheraconluce Road.

History

Maps of the early 19th century show little development at Annahilt beyond a schoolhouse and a small number of dwellings near the main crossroads. The settlement grew much in the second half of the 20th century. The primary school was founded in 1801.