Shrigleys brings taste of Moroccan spice to London

Shrigleys brings taste of Moroccan spice to London

22 January 2025

A CASUAL walk along a busy London street brought a local politician into contact with a very familiar name from home.

Rowallane councillor Terry Andrews was dandering along Southwark’s Borough High Street – just a short distance from London Bridge – when the word ‘Shrigley’s’ caught his eye.

Intrigued, he wanted to find out more and Shrigleys as it turned out is the name of a popular Moroccan restaurant.

But why the connection with the picturesque village outside Killyleagh?

Well, the restaurant was formerly owned by a couple from Northern Ireland who used the village’ name.

And while tens of thousands of people pass by the restaurant and hundreds dine in it, each and everyone will be totally oblivious to the local link, but Cllr Andrews wasn’t and he has since got to know the owners Abdellah and Amina Aachoui really rather well.

On a previous visit, he made them aware of the restaurant’s connection with the local village and gave them a quick overview of its history.

“Mr Aachoui mentioned that the premises were originally owned by a couple from Northern Ireland and their aunt insisted on calling the business Shrigleys,” Cllr Andrews explained.

On his most recent visit, he brought with him one of the posters made to commemorate Shrigley’s 200th anniversary.

He presented the poster, which features a historical timeline of the village along with landmarks and buildings including the famous Martin Memorial Clock.

“Abdellah and Amina were delighted to accept the memento which will have pride of place in their business featuring Shrigley,” Cllr Andrews continued.

“They also extended their best wishes to those who live and work in the village on celebrating their 200th milestone.”

Cllr Andrews said it was a honour to present the restaurant owners with the poster which they very much appreciated.

“It’s hard to believe that Shrigley has a connection with one of the most cosmopolitan and busiest streets in the heart of London but it has. When I first spotted the name I had no idea if there was a connection with the local village.

“But after asking a few questions I was delighted to discover there was and I was even more delighted to relay the news to members of the hardworking committee which organised last year’s 200th anniversary celebrations.”

And Cllr Andrews, who has sampled Shrigleys cuisine, described Moroccan food as “gorgeous”.

He added: “Perhaps if anyone from the area finds themselves in London they could pop into Shrigley’s and say hello.”

Shrigley was founded by the Martin family, who came from Pott Shrigley in Cheshire in 1842 and owned the spinning factory in the village.

It was powered by water supplied from the nearby Clea Lough and while the mill — which is reported to have employed 500 people at one time — has long gone, the clock tower erected by the people of Shrigley in 1871 in honour of the Martin family remains.

Mr Martin developed Shrigley into a self-contained industrial village, one of around half a dozen developed by enterprising mill owners in 19th century Ireland. At the time, the local mill was one of the biggest in Great Britain

Last year marked the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the former mill village established in 1824 by Mr Martin on the site of a former flour mill, with the Utitz family further reinvigorating Shrigley with the opening of a tannery in the late 1930s. 

Shrigley was one of the first “model’’ villages, carefully planned with well-designed housing, a school, a community centre and plenty of recreational facilities.