County Down - Towns

At the centre of the District is the chief town and administrative centre of Banbridge situated in the townland of Ballyvally which, in Irish, means 'the townland of the road' referring to the road which crossed the River Bann on its way to Newry. The great hill on the south of the river presented a huge problem to the horse drawn Royal Mail coaches of old who threatened to bypass the town which would have resulted in lost trade. The action taken as a result of this threat can be seen today in a feature that makes Banbridge like no other town in Ireland. In 1834 the wide main street was divided into three sections with an underpass cut out into the middle to lower the hill and a bridge built over the gap. The bridge is called the Downshire Bridge, also known locally as 'The Jinglers Bridge' while the underpass is known as 'The Cut'.

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Bangor is a pleasant traditional seaside resort with a little light industry, it is very much a dormitory town efficiently linked by road and rail with Belfast 12 miles away. Boating and yachting (4 yacht clubs), sea angling and golf are main leisure preoccupations. The sandy beaches are safe for bathing.

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Carryduff is located between Belast and Strangford Lough. The Ulster Way passes a short distance away and there is a Nature Reserve and several historic sites in the vicinity.

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Visitors to Castlewellan are mostly heading for one or other of the two forest parks nearby but this agreeable market town deserves more than a passing glance. It has two squares, two market houses and two attractive churches. Internationally renowned for its Arboretum, Castlewellan Forest Park has become one of the key attractions for tourists to the region. Dating from about 1860 the Arboretum contains exotic trees and plants from throughout the world and is particularly famed for the conifer 'Castlewellan Gold'. Also featured in the Arboretum are the walled Annesley Garden, spring garden, autumn wood, winter garden and rhododendron woods.

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