Cushendun derives is name from an Irish word meaning 'Foot of the Dun' - this sheltered and safe anchorage at the mouth of the River Dun has been a landing place and ferry point between Scotland and Ireland since man first settled on the north coast. The picturesque village is situated on a raised beach at the outflow of the glacial valleys of Glendun and Glencorp. In 1830 a plan was put in motion by a local businessman Nicholas Cromelin to develop the harbour commercially so that it could cater for the surrounding district and industrial centre of Ballymena - the architect Sir John Rennie was commissioned for the design but the project failed when the government pulled out from funding it. The village we see today owes much of its character and unique architectural heritage to Ronald John McNeill who became the 1st Baron of Cushendun in 1927 - he had plans to develop the village and in 1912 commissioned the architect Clough Williams-Ellis to design a village square with seven house, the remit also included a public hall which was never completed,