The search for artifacts is part of a wider restoration project, instigated by members of the Gracehill Old School Trust (GhOST), which began on June 25, last year to restore Gracehill Old School. Gracehill was a Georgian school steeped in history, built around the mid 1700s and listed in 1975 shortly after Gracehill became Northern Ireland's first conservation area.

The building continued to serve as a primary school until as recently as 1999 when it was replaced by a new building on a site 250 yards to the rear.

As the Old School House was falling into disrepair, the trustees of GhOST were determined to save it by purchasing the building, planning to restore and finally opening it for use by both the local community and visitors.
The trustees wanted to show the local community that refurbishing their 'landmark' and much-loved building, would provide an invaluable space for community use, and in turn attract visitors to Gracehill.
Several different facets are planned for the Old School House including a visitors centre, tours, a dedicated educational space and historical classroom.

Tourism will also feature strongly and GhOST will be developing a seasonal programme of open days, tours and educational events.

GhOST Chairman, David Johnston, explained why memorabilia will be so important throughout this process, "Photos are only the beginning - we are looking for any materials from Gracehill School days.

All memorabilia is important for us to collect and will provide visual points of reference in the history of this unique village.

"Memorabilia can also be extremely nostalgic and provide a talking point locally or even further afield, about fond memories of school. This is why we are calling on members of the local community in Ballymena and in fact all over Northern Ireland to send in anything they may have – even if they don't think it's significant we would be very interested."

If you require any further information or would like to talk to someone about memorabilia, please contact Christie Colhoun, The Readers Room, Gracehill on 02825 641187.