| Markethill | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 | |
  Markethill Location withinNorthern Ireland | |
| Population | 1,647 (2011 census) |
| Irish grid reference | H962398 |
| • Belfast | 40 miles |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ARMAGH |
| Postcode district | BT60 |
| Dialling code | 028, +44 28 |
| UK Parliament | |
| NI Assembly | |
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Markethill is a village inCounty Armagh,Northern Ireland. It is besideGosford Forest Park. It had a population of 1,647 people in the2011 census.[1]
A livestock market is held here three times a week and each summer the world's largestLambeg drumming contest takes place in the village.[2] It is home to Kilcluney Volunteers Flute Band, who host the largest band parade in Europe on the first Friday of each June.[citation needed]
It is by theA28 road around 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east ofArmagh city, and 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-west ofNewry.
The village sprang up within thetownland ofCoolmallish orCoolmillish (Irish:Cúil Mheallghuis),[3] on the road betweenArmagh andNewry. It began to grow during thePlantation of Ulster as a town for Scottish and English migrants.
Duringthe Troubles, there were a number of incidents in Markethill, including a number which resulted in fatalities.
NearbyGosford Castle is within Gosford Forest Park. The Ministry of Agriculture bought the estate in 1958, establishing Gosford Forest Park. Gosford Castle is the largest Grade Alisted building in Northern Ireland, in 2006 after public consultation the Boyd Partnership was selected to restore the castle and convert it into 24 self-contained luxury apartments. The first residents moved in December 2008, restoration is still in progress as of May 2010.
Markethill Courthouse, situated at the top of Main Street, at the north entrance to Markethill adjacent to Gosford Forest Park. Markethill Courthouse was built in 1842 to the designs of Thomas Duff, and is one of the few surviving large regional free standing Courthouses built in the middle century.[citation needed] The building is constructed of random Blackstone with Armagh limestone quoins and dressings. The building was last used as a courthouse in 1952, was purchased by Markethill District Enterprises Ltd in June 1997, after lying vacant for 25 years. The building was restored for use as a community centre.[citation needed]
Markethill is home to multiple different types of marching bands, each holding a parade in the town:
Markethill Swifts F.C., an association football club, play in theMid-Ulster Football League.
Markethill railway station opened on 25 August 1864, closed for passenger traffic on 1 February 1933 and finally closed altogether on 2 May 1955.[12] It was located on theArmagh toGoraghwood section of line run by theGreat Northern Railway of Ireland.
Markethill is classified as a village by theNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,499 people).[13] On census day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Markethill Settlement was 1,647, accounting for 0.09% of the NI total.[1] Of these:
Schools in the area include Markethill Primary School andMarkethill High School.
The first significant industrial capacity in the town was established in 1888 by DH Sinton who established a linen mill, close to the town's railway station.[citation needed] The mill was purchased by Spence, Bryson & Co. Ltd in 1909 and remained operational until 1991 when it was badly damaged by an IRA bomb. Production at this point moved to a sister factory in nearby Portadown.
Today the area is largely focused on agriculture and is centred on the large agricultural mart situated on the Cladymilltown Road on the outskirts of the town. Markethill Livestock Sales has been established for more than 45 years.[14] The previous mart premises subsequently became a derelict site.[citation needed]
A small business park has been constructed on a section of the former Spence, Bryson & Co. Ltd Linen Mill which contains a number of small business' and start-up enterprises. The business park is administered by Markethill Business Centre on Fairgreen Road.[15]
There are several independent businesses located in the town. These include Alexander's of Markethill and Alexanders Furnishings Ltd.,[16] established in 1954 and operating from the old Market House, Keady Street with the furniture shop on Fairgreen Road nearby. Dalzell's of Markethill, an electrical appliances company, was established in 1956.[17]
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under theOpen Government Licence v3.0Archived 28 June 2017 at theWayback Machine. © Crown copyright.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| National | |
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