Sleans Church sits high on a hill overlooking Cushendun. Little is known of its history apart from what we can learn from the ruins.
It was built in 1833 during the period when Nicholas Crommelin was trying to develop Cushendun as a significant port. The other ruins beside the church would suggest living quarters for craftsmen brought in and who, like Crommelin himself, came from a Huguenot and strong Calvinistic background hence a Congregational Church.
This may be further borne out in that the plans for his Newtowncrommelin settlement show two Churches i.e an Established Church and a Presbyterian Church but the tenants here were landless Scottish and English settlers. The absence of records is not surprising as Congregational Churches were totally independent of hierarchical structure and often had no central records.
This post is part of the What’s That? Project. Funded by The Community Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund & The Community Foundation for NI. The aim of the project is to highlight local historical sites and give people a short history of what is there. Photos by John Healy.
