The village owes much of its unique architectural heritage to Ronald John McNeill who became the 1st Baron of Cushendun in 1927, he also served in the  Conservative government as Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Acting Foreign Secretary during the 1920s. He was the son of Edmund McNeill, J.P. and Sheriff of County Antrim.  He had a vision for the development of the village and in 1912  commissioned the architect Clough Williams-Ellis to design a village square with seven houses, the remit also included a public hall which was never completed.

His wife Elizabeth Maud Bolitho was Cornish and this may have had some bearing on the design style produced by Clough Williams-Ellis. In 1925 the architect was again commissioned  to design Mauds Cottages named after his first wife and also Glenmona House.  In 1925 more cottages were built in keeping with the architectural integrity of the village, designed by Frederick MacManus.