Historic Places in County Down

Audley's Castle is a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house on the shore of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the care of the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities. The castle stands on a promontory above the lough and offers dramatic views across the water toward the Ards Peninsula, with the tidal mudflats and wooded shores of Strangford Lough visible in every direction. Strangford Lough is one of the most important marine nature reserves in Ireland, and the castle's lochside position reflects the medieval importance of this tidal inlet as a highway for movement around the southwest and south Ulster coastlines. The tower house is freely accessible and provides an atmospheric addition to any exploration of the Strangford Lough landscape.

Bangor Castle is situated in Castle Park in the town of Bangor 12 miles from Belfast. The castle has the appearance of a three storey Elizabethan - Jacobean mansion house made from limestone attached to an earlier abbey which has a steeply pitched roof. The castle sits in formal gardens with flower beds, which have won awards for their outstanding blooms and trees around the perimeter; a large car park has also been built at the front. Facilities Bangor Castle is now used by the local council and not open to the general public. The original building on the site was an abbey founded in around 555AD by St. Comgal. The building was destroyed in the 9th century by the Danes and rebuilt in 1120 after which it was used by Franciscan monks until the abbey was dissolved in 1542. The manor house on the site was completed in 1852 for the Honorable Robert Edward Ward and consisted of no less than 35 bedrooms and a large saloon for music recitals. Bangor Borough Council acquired the castle and it became the Town Hall. It is now the seat of its successor the North Down Borough Council.

Castle Ward in County Down is one of the most architecturally curious and entertaining country houses in Ireland, a mid-eighteenth-century mansion of two facing facades built in two completely different architectural styles that reflects an apparently irreconcilable difference of taste between its original owners, Bernard Ward, first Viscount Bangor, and his wife Lady Anne Bligh. The south-facing garden front was built in the classical Palladian style that Bernard preferred, while the north-facing entrance front was designed in the Gothic Revival style that Lady Anne favoured, and the interior is divided similarly, with rooms in both classical and Gothic decorative schemes. The story behind this architectural schizophrenia, whether apocryphal or not, has always been one of the great anecdotes of Irish architectural history. The couple are said to have disagreed so fundamentally about the style of their house that the only solution was to give each party their preferred design on their respective sides of the building, a compromise that produced one of the most unusual houses in these islands. The marriage did not survive the building of the house, Lady Anne departing for Bath, but the architectural consequences of their disagreement have survived and amused visitors ever since. The estate surrounding the house is one of the finest in County Down, occupying a beautiful position above Strangford Lough with extensive formal gardens, woodland walks and a working farm with Victorian farmyard buildings. The estate has been managed by the National Trust since 1953 and the combination of the house, gardens and estate walks makes a full day's visit easy to fill. The Strangford Lough Wildlife Centre within the estate provides information about the extraordinary marine and coastal habitats of the lough. Castle Ward has also achieved contemporary fame as a filming location for Game of Thrones, whose production team used the estate extensively, and guided tours relating to the series are available for fans of the programme.

Castlewellan Castle is a Scottish Baronial castle in Castlewellan town in County Down, Northern Ireland, built between 1856 and 1858 for the Annesley family on an estate developed throughout the nineteenth century. The castle, now used as a conference and retreat centre, is adjacent to the celebrated Castlewellan Forest Park, one of the finest arboretum landscapes in Ireland, developed by the Annesley family and subsequently by the Forest Service of Northern Ireland. The arboretum at Castlewellan contains one of the most diverse collections of trees and shrubs in Ireland, including many rare and champion specimens, and the formal lake, peace maze and extensive woodland walks make the park one of the most visited heritage and natural destinations in County Down.

Clough Castle is a well-preserved motte-and-bailey earthwork castle in the village of Clough in County Down, Northern Ireland, representing one of the finest surviving examples of early Norman earthwork fortification in Ulster. The castle was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century by the Anglo-Norman colonisers who extended their power into east Ulster following the initial invasion of 1177. The large motte originally topped with a timber tower and surrounded by a bailey enclosure with ditch and bank provides a clear and legible example of the type of castle quickly thrown up across newly conquered territories. The earthworks are well preserved in the village setting and are freely accessible, providing one of the more complete early Norman castle earthworks in Ulster.

Dundrum Castle is a ruined Norman enclosure castle near the village of Dundrum in County Down, Northern Ireland, spectacularly situated on a hilltop above the village and Dundrum Bay with views toward the Mountains of Mourne and across Dundrum Inlet. The castle was built by John de Courcy, the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered east Ulster in the 1170s, and was subsequently one of the most important royal castles in Ulster throughout the medieval period. The circular keep and concentric enclosure represent the most advanced military architecture of the thirteenth century, and the quality of the surviving stonework reflects the castle's status as a major royal fortress. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and is freely accessible, with the hilltop position providing exceptional views over the bay and the Mourne Mountains.

Hillsborough Castle is a Georgian country house in the historic town of Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, serving as the official royal residence and Government House in Northern Ireland. The house was built in the 1770s for Wills Hill, first Marquess of Downshire, and has served as the official residence for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and for visits by the British royal family since the 1920s. The castle and its gardens were opened to visitors in 2019, allowing public access to the state rooms and the extensive walled gardens for the first time. The adjacent historic town of Hillsborough, with its Georgian architecture, fort and church, is one of the most attractive small towns in Northern Ireland.

Jordan's Castle near Ardglass in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a well-preserved sixteenth-century tower house on the coast south of Strangford Lough, one of the most complete examples of a small Ulster tower house from the later medieval period. The castle was associated with the Jordan family and formed part of the network of fortified sites along the east Down coast that controlled the fishing and trading harbours of this commercially active stretch of coastline. The tower house is four storeys high with the characteristic features of its type: thick walls, vaulted basement, mural stairs and corbelled parapets. The village of Ardglass nearby is an attractive fishing village with several other medieval tower houses and a rich heritage reflecting its importance as a medieval trading port.

Kilclief Castle near Strangford in County Down, Northern Ireland, is a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house built between 1413 and 1441 by John Sely, Bishop of Down, as a summer residence on the shore of Strangford Lough. The castle is notable as one of the earliest tower houses in Ireland for which a firm date of construction is known, making it an important benchmark for understanding the development of the tower house form in Ulster. The building features twin towers flanking the entrance passage on the main facade, creating an unusually formal and symmetrical appearance that may reflect the ecclesiastical status of its builder. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and stands on the lough shore with attractive views across the water toward the Ards Peninsula.

The castle is situated in the village of Killyleagh 11 miles east of Ballynahinch Killyleagh Castle was built to resemble a French Chateau from the Loire Valley with round corner turrets, a steeply sloping grey slate roof and a gate lodge. Facilities Today Killyleagh Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland, with the main part of the castle being home to Gawn Hamilton and his family. The Hamilton's have now opened two of the towers as self catering accommodation. Guests can have use of tennis courts and swimming pool as well as the roof top patio. The towers can sleep up to 15 people and offer modern facilities including central heating. King James I gave the land to a Scott called James Hamilton, later honoured with the title Vicount Claneboye. He built a single towered castle and courtyard walls; his son James, 1st Earl of Clanbrissil added a second tower. In 1649 the castle was attacked by Cromwell's forces from the Lough, the Earl escaped leaving his wife and family behind. His son the 2nd Earl, Henry, rebuilt the castle in 1666 restoring the protective wall and adding a tower to the north. In 1667 the 2nd Earl married Lady Alice Moore. She soon discovered that if they didn't produce an heir the estate would be inherited by five other family members so she arranged for her father in laws will to be destroyed. In 1674 she persuaded her husband make a will of his own leaving the castle and estate to her, a year later he died of poisoning. After the death of Lady Alice in1677 the cousins became aware of the 1st Earl's will and pursued their rights to the estate from Lady Alice's brother. The matter took twenty years to resolve and it was only after a copy of the original will was found that the castle was rightfully theirs. By this time all the cousins had died but one of them; James of Neilsbrook, had been confident that justice would be done and in his will had left the estate to his relatives. In 1697 his two nephews William and Gawn gained the main house and his daughter Anne was awarded the gatehouse. William and Gawn made a new entrance to the castle and on their death's the castle passed to Gawn's descendents as William died childless. From 1849 the current owner Archibald Hamilton employed Sir Charles Lanyon to renovate and redesign elements of the castle which included adding the turrets. The gatehouse passed through marriage to the Baron's of Dufferin and Claneboye, and it was the 5th Baron Fredrick Temple Blackwood who in 1860 gave the gatehouse back to the Hamiltons. During the 1920's the castle was attacked by the IRA but remained with the family and has done ever since. The Arts The castle in the past has hosted concerts for Glen Hansard, Bap Kennedy and Van Morrison

Kirkistown Castle is a well-preserved seventeenth-century tower house on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, built in 1622 by the Savage family, an Anglo-Norman dynasty who had held lands on the Ards Peninsula from the earliest period of Norman colonisation of east Ulster. The tower is a compact three-storey structure with battered lower walls and corbelled parapets typical of Ulster tower house design, set in the flat agricultural landscape of the Ards Peninsula close to the sea. The Ards Peninsula forms the eastern boundary of Strangford Lough, and the surrounding landscape of flat farmland, small fishing harbours and the beautiful lough provide a distinctive coastal character well suited to gentle cycling and coastal walking.

Narrow Water Castle is a sixteenth-century tower house at Warrenpoint in County Down, Northern Ireland, standing at the narrows where the Newry River enters Carlingford Lough with views across to the mountains of County Louth. The castle controlled this important waterway, which provided the main sea route for trade to the town of Newry and the agricultural hinterland of south Down and south Armagh. The tower house is one of the better-preserved examples of its type in south Down, its compact form reflected in the still waters of the lough at high tide. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and is accessible from the A2 shore road between Newry and Warrenpoint. The surrounding landscape at the head of Carlingford Lough, with the Mountains of Mourne rising behind Rostrevor, provides one of the most dramatic scenic settings of any castle in Northern Ireland.

Portaferry Castle is a small sixteenth-century tower house in the centre of Portaferry town at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula in County Down, controlling the narrows of the Strangford Lough entrance where the powerful tidal currents between the lough and the open sea create one of the most unusual water habitats in Ireland. The castle runs alongside Castle Street leading from The Square to the ferry slipway, giving it a prominent urban position in this picturesque town. The waters of Strangford Narrows visible from the castle are a marine nature reserve of international importance. Portaferry is home to Exploris Aquarium, Northern Ireland's only public aquarium, and the short ferry crossing to Strangford village on the opposite shore provides access to the western lough shore and the Lecale Peninsula.

Quintin Castle is a private castle on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, one of the very few Anglo-Norman castles in Ulster to have been in continuous occupation by the same family, the Savage family, since the Norman period. The Savages were among the earliest Anglo-Norman settlers in east Ulster, arriving with John de Courcy's forces in the 1170s and establishing themselves as lords of the Ards Peninsula for centuries afterward. The castle incorporates medieval fabric within a substantially rebuilt and extended building of later centuries, and the long continuity of occupation by one family gives it an unusual historical depth. The Ards Peninsula location provides access to the beautiful east shore of Strangford Lough, one of the most important tidal inlets in Ireland for both natural heritage and early Christian history.

Quoile Castle is a ruined sixteenth-century tower house near Downpatrick in County Down, Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Quoile at the tidal limit of the estuary that flows past the ancient city of Downpatrick to Strangford Lough. The castle controlled this important waterway providing the approach route to Downpatrick, the ecclesiastical capital of County Down and the site of the burial of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The tidal Quoile estuary nearby has been transformed by the construction of a tidal barrage into a freshwater nature reserve, the Quoile Countryside Centre, one of the most important wetland habitats in County Down supporting breeding and wintering wildfowl of considerable significance.