Bangor Castle facts for kids
Bangor Castle is a beautiful old country house located in Castle Park in Bangor, Northern Ireland. It's not a real castle with knights and dragons, but a grand mansion! Today, it's used as the main office for the local council, which helps run the town.
This impressive building looks like a fancy old house from the Elizabethan and Jacobean times. It has a huge 35 bedrooms and even a special large room that was once used for music concerts. Before the castle was built, this spot was home to Bangor Abbey. This abbey was where Franciscan friars (a type of monk) lived until the "Dissolution of the Monasteries" in 1542. This was when many religious buildings in Britain were closed down by the government.
History of Bangor Castle
The castle was designed by a Scottish architect named William Burn. It was finished in 1852 for a man called Robert Edward Ward. He was the brother of the 3rd Viscount Bangor, a noble title. Robert Ward also held an important local role as the High Sheriff of Down in 1842, which meant he was in charge of law and order in the area.
The land around Bangor Castle was huge, about 6,000 acres! This included half of the entire town of Bangor. Robert Ward's only daughter, Matilda Catherine Maude, later married a soldier named John Bingham, 5th Baron Clanmorris. After her husband passed away in 1916, Lady Clanmorris continued to live in the house until she died in 1941.
Bangor Castle Today
In 1952, the local council, which was then called Bangor Borough Council, bought the castle and its grounds. The large music room was turned into the Council Chamber, where important meetings are held. Now, the Ards and North Down Borough Council uses Bangor Castle as its main office.
The beautiful gardens around the castle were first designed by the Ward family in the 1840s. These gardens have won many awards because they are so well-kept and have amazing flowers. You can visit these gardens and enjoy them yourself!
Inside the building, there is also a museum. It tells the story of the Ward and Bingham families who used to live there. The museum even has a very special medal called the Victoria Cross. This medal was given to Commander Edward Bingham, who was the son of the 5th Lord Clanmorris, for being incredibly brave.
