Bangor, County Down

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This article is about the town in Northern Ireland. For other uses, see Bangor.
Bangor
Irish: Beannchor

Bangor, County Down (Northern Ireland)
Bangor, County Down

Bangor shown within Northern Ireland
Population 58,388 (2001 Census)
District North Down Borough
County County Down
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BANGOR
Postcode district BT19
BT20
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
European Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament North Down
NI Assembly North Down
Website: www.northdown.gov.uk
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down

Coordinates: 54°40′N 5°40′W / 54.66, -5.67

Bangor (Irish: Beannchor) is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland, with a population of 76,388 people in the 2001 Census, making it the most populous town in Northern Ireland and the third most populous settlement in Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort situated on the southern side of Belfast Lough and is situated in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status.[1] In 2007, the town was voted by UTV viewers as the most desirable place to live in Northern Ireland.[2].

It is primarily residential and can be viewed as a commuter town for the Greater Belfast area, from which it is linked by the A2 road and a direct railway line. Bangor is situated 13.6 miles (22 km) from the heart of Belfast and thirty minutes by train or bus with George Best Belfast City Airport even closer.

Bangor is part of the North Down Borough Council area and is twinned with the Austrian city of Bregenz, and the US city of Virginia Beach. The Mayor of Bangor is Stephen Farry. It is also host to the Royal Ulster and Ballyholme Yacht clubs. Tourism is important, particularly in the summer months, and plans are being made for the redevelopment of the seafront; a notable building in the town is Bangor Old Custom House. The largest remaining individual land owner in the area is the Clandeboye Estate, located a few miles from the town centre.

Contents

[edit] Name

Bangor's coastline.
Bangor's coastline.

The name Bangor is derived from the Irish word Beannchor meaning a staked enclosure. It may also be linked to Beanna, the Irish for cliffs. The area was also known as The Vale of Angels, after Saint Patrick once rested there and had a vision filled with angels.[3]

[edit] Coat of Arms

The shield is emblazoned with two ships, which feature the Red Hand of Ulster on their sails, denoting that Bangor is in the Irish province of Ulster. The blue and white stripes on the shield show that Bangor is a seaside town. Supporting the shield are two dolphins, signifying Bangor's links with the sea. Each is charged with a gold roundle; the left featuring a Shamrock to represent Ireland, and the right featuring a bull's head, possibly in reference to the derivation of the town's name. The arms are crested by a haloed St Comgall, founder of the town's Abbey, who was an important figure in the spread of Christianity. The motto reads Beannchor, the town's name in Irish.

[edit] History

Bangor has a long and varied history, from the Bronze Age people whose swords were discovered in 1949 or the Viking burial found on Ballyholme beach, to the Victorian pleasure seekers who travelled on the new railway from Belfast to take in the sea air. The town has been the site of a monastery renowned throughout Europe for its learning and scholarship, the victim of violent Viking raids in the 8th and 9th centuries, and the new home of Scottish and English planters during the Plantation of Ulster. The town has prospered as an important port, a centre of cotton production, and a Victorian and Edwardian holiday resort. Today it is a large retail centre and a commuter town for Belfast, though the remnants of the town's varied past still shape its modern form.

[edit] Bangor Abbey

Main article: Bangor Abbey
The Hereford Mappa Mundi
The Hereford Mappa Mundi

The Annals of Ulster tells us that the monastery of Bangor was founded by Saint Comgall in approximately 555[4] and was where the Antiphonarium Benchorense was written, a copy of which can be seen in the town's heritage centre. The monastery had such widespread influence that the town is one of only four places in Ireland to be named in the Hereford Mappa Mundi in 1300. The monastery, situated roughly where the Church of Ireland Bangor Abbey currently stands at the head of the town, became a centre of great learning and was among the most eminent of Europe’s missionary institutions in the Early Middle Ages, although it also suffered greatly at the hands of Viking raiders in the 8th century and the 9th century. Saint Malachy was elected Abbot of the monastery in 1123, a year before being consecrated Bishop of Connor. His extensive travels around Europe inspired him to rejuvenate the monasteries in Ireland, and he replaced the existing wooden huts with stone buildings; all that remains today of these is a solitary wall beside the current Bangor Abbey, supposed to be part of the monastery's refectory. Despite the decline of the monastery, its influence can still be observed in the modern town; streets names such as Abbots Close and Abbots Walk in the area of the Abbey give clues as to the town's illustrious ecclesiastical past.

[edit] 17th and 18th centuries

Bangor Castle
Bangor Castle
The Old Custom House
The Old Custom House

The modern town has its roots in the early 17th century when the Scot, Sir James Hamilton, arrived in Bangor, having been granted lands in north Down by King James I in 1605. The Old Custom House which was completed in 1637 after James I granted Bangor the status of a port in 1620, is a visible reminder of the new order introduced by Hamilton and his Scots settlers, and is one of the oldest buildings in Ireland to have been in continual use. The town was an important source of customs revenue for the crown and in the 1780s Colonel Robert Ward improved the harbour and promoted the cotton industries; today's picturesque sea-front was the location of several large steam-powered cotton mills, which employed over three hundred people. The construction of a large stone market house around this time, now used by the Northern Bank, is a testament to the increasing prosperity of the town.

The end of the 18th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in Ireland, as the United Irishmen, inspired by the American and French Revolutions, sought to achieve a greater degree of independence from Britain. On the morning of 10 June 1798 a force of United Irishmen, mainly from Bangor, Donaghadee, Greyabbey and Ballywalter attempted to occupy the nearby town of Newtownards. They met with musket fire from the market house and were subsequently defeated (see also Irish Rebellion of 1798).

[edit] Victorian Era

Houses in Bangor Bay
Houses in Bangor Bay

By the middle of the 19th century, the cotton mills had declined and the town changed in character once again. The laying of the railway in 1865 meant that inexpensive travel from Belfast was possible, and working class people could afford for the first time to holiday in the town. Bangor soon became a fashionable resort for Victorian holidaymakers, as well as a desirable home to the wealthy. Many of the beautiful houses overlooking Bangor Bay (some of which have now been demolished to make way for modern apartments) date from this period. The belief in the restorative powers of the sea air meant that the town became a popular location for sea bathing and marine sports, and the number of visitors from Great Britain increased during the Edwardian period at the beginning of the 20th century, which also saw the improvement of Ward Park and the Marine Gardens.

[edit] 20th century to present

The inter-war period of the early 20th century saw the development of the fondly remembered Tonic Cinema, Pickie Pool and Caproni’s ballroom — all three among the foremost of their type in Ireland. Only Pickie Pool exists today, though it is in a different location than it was in the past, due to the rejuvenation of Bangor seafront in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Tonic and Caproni's have both been demolished.

Commemorative plaque on the Eisenhower Pier.
Commemorative plaque on the Eisenhower Pier.

During World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed Allied troops in Bangor, who were departing to take part in the D-Day landings. In 2005, his granddaughter Mary-Jean Eisenhower came to the town to oversee the renaming of the marina's North Pier to the Eisenhower Pier.

With the growing popularity of inexpensive foreign holidays from the 1960s onwards, Bangor declined as a tourist resort and was forced to rethink its future. The second half of the 20th century saw its role as a dormitory town for Belfast become more important. Its population increased dramatically; from around 14,000 in 1930 it had reached 40,000 by 1971 and 58,000 by the end of the century (some council publicity material counting it as high as 70,000), making it one of the ten largest settlements in all of Ireland. The late 1960s also saw work begin on the construction of the Ring Road around the town.

The 1970s saw the building of the Springhill Shopping Centre, an out–of–town development near the A2 road to Belfast and Northern Ireland's first purpose-built shopping centre. It has been demolished to facilitate a modern 24-hour Tesco supermarket. The town expanded rapidly in the 1980s to accommodate many new residents, absorbing much surrounding countryside. This period also saw the construction of the Marina and major light industrial and retail developments. In the early 1990s, Bloomfield Shopping Centre, another out–of–town development, opened beside Bloomfield Estate. In 2007, a major renovation of the centre began, including the construction of a multistorey car park. The trend towards out–of–town shopping centres was somewhat reversed with the construction of the Flagship Centre around 1990 and a large Safeway store in the town centre, which has now become ASDA.

Currently the sea-front of the town is awaiting redevelopment and has been for over a decade, with a large part of the frontage already demolished, leaving a patch of derelict ground facing onto the marina. Because of this, a great deal of local controversy surrounds this process and the many plans put forward by the council and developers for the land (see External Links). A state of the art recycling centre is being built in Balloo Industrial Estate, due to be one of the most advanced in Europe. It was scheduled to open in the summer of 2007.[5]

On Saturday 12 May 2007, a series of unidentified orange lights appeared in the sky over the town, causing speculation that they were UFOs.[6] The lights even prompted calls to Belfast International Airport's air traffic control, including one from the coastguard; air traffic control stated they had no record of any aircraft in the area at the time. It has been speculated that the lights were caused by Thai wedding lanterns, released into the sky to celebrate a marriage.[7]

[edit] The Troubles

Despite escaping much of the sectarian violence during The Troubles, Bangor was the site for three major incidents. On 30 March 1974, terrorists carried out a major incendiary bomb attack on the main shopping centre in Bangor. On 21 October 1992, the Provisional IRA (PIRA) exploded a 200 lb (91 kg) bomb in Main Street, causing large amounts of damage to nearby buildings.[8] Main Street sustained more damage on 7 March 1993, when the PIRA exploded a 500 lb (227 kg) car bomb. Four Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were injured in the explosion; the cost of the damage was later estimated at £2 million, as there was extensive damage to retail premises and Trinity Presbyterian Church, as well as minor damage to the local Church of Ireland Parish Church and First Bangor Presbyterian Church.

[edit] Climate

Like most places in the British Isles, Bangor has a mild climate with few extremes of weather. It enjoys one of the sunniest climates in Northern Ireland, and receives about 700 mm of rain per year, which is dry by Irelands standards. Snow is rare. This is due to the mild winters and close proximity to the sea. Winter maximums are about 7 °C (45 °F) but exceptionally has reached as high as 17 °C (63 °F). Average maximums in summer are around 20 °C (68 °F), although the record high is 35 °C (95 °F). The lowest recorded temperature is −5.4 °C (22 °F). Temperatures above 27 °C (81 °F) in Bangor are usually uncomfortable due to the high humidity, and real feels would be in the mid 30s.


Weather averages for Bangor, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16 (61) 17 (63) 22 (72) 23 (73) 28 (82) 30 (86) 35 (95) 32 (90) 27 (81) 21 (70) 18 (64) 16 (61)
Average high °C (°F) 6 (43) 7 (45) 9 (48) 12 (54) 15 (59) 18 (64) 21 (70) 20 (68) 16 (61) 13 (55) 9 (48) 7 (45) 13 (55)
Average low °C (°F) 2 (36) 2 (36) 3 (37) 4 (39) 6 (43) 10 (50) 14 (57) 13 (55) 10 (50) 7 (45) 4 (39) 3 (37) 7 (45)
Record low °C (°F) -5 (23) -5 (23) -3 (27) -2 (28) 1 (34) 3 (37) 8 (46) 6 (43) 1 (34) -1 (30) -3 (27) -5 (23)
Precipitation mm (inches) 80 (3.1) 48 (1.9) 42 (1.7) 48 (1.9) 52 (2) 48 (1.9) 34 (1.3) 47 (1.9) 80 (3.1) 83 (3.3) 72 (2.8) 80 (3.1) 714 (28.1)
Source: [9] 2008-02-10

[edit] Demographics

Bangor is classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a Large Town (i.e., with a population between 18,000 and 75,000) within the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 58,388 people living in Bangor. Of these:

  • 20.2% were aged under 16 years and 20.3% were aged 60 and over
  • 47.7% of the population were male and 52.3% were female
  • 82.7% were from a Protestant background and 10.6% were from a Roman Catholic background

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Bangor is home to famous water colour painter Toni Cromie. In her mansion on the Stratford road. Paints via her very feet, because she lacks the use of her arms. she has 4 children and a 30 year old husband. Also works as a tight rope walker in duffys circus.

[edit] Transport

The first section of Belfast and County Down Railway line from Belfast to Holywood opened in 1848 and was extended to Bangor by the Belfast, Holywood and Bangor Railway (BHBR), opening on 1 May 1865, along with Bangor railway station. It was acquired by the BCDR in 1884.[10] and closed to goods traffic on 24 April 1950.[11] Bangor West railway station was opened on 1 June 1928[11] by the Belfast and County Down Railway to serve the rapidly expanding suburbs of Bangor.

[edit] Sport

[edit] Football

In football, the Irish First Division side Bangor FC play at Clandeboye Park on the Clandeboye Road. Their stadium, which is under renovation at the moment also hosts Ards FC's "home" matches.

There are a large number of amateur league football teams within the Bangor area playing in the Northern Amateur Football League. The majority of teams play on council run pitches called the Valentine Playing fields which are located behind Castle Park. Other playing fields are located near Bloomfield and Groomsport.

[edit] Sailing

Bangor has a high reputation for sailing, hosting great world events and also has high prestige clubs such as the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and Ballyholme Yacht Club.

[edit] Motor sport

Every year Bangor hosts the motorcycle World Trials Championships at the marina. Bangor also will host an off–road karting event on Gransha Road in 2007.

[edit] Basketball

Bangor's basketball team, the Bangor Mariners, has grown in strength and size with the development of its youth team. The team had a successful first season in the 2005/06 Ulster Basketball Association Premier Division.

[edit] Cricket

Bangor Cricket Club runs five teams now in full league competition and has a reputation for providing one of the best wickets to play on anywhere in Ireland. Not traditionally one of the giants of local cricket, they surprised many people by winning the NCU Senior League Section 1 three seasons ago, thanks largely to the exploits of New Zealander Regan West and all rounder Johnny Hewitt, who have now left the club. The club is now mid-table and looking to heavily develop its next generation. It is greatly aided in this regard by their Sri Lankan professional Yasas Tillakaratne.

[edit] Athletics

In 2006 North Down Athletics club won the Hibernian League and became Irish Champions for the first time in their history.

[edit] Hockey

Bangor's hockey club is situated on the Old Belfast Road at Bangor Sportsplex, and comprises six men's teams, two women's teams and a large youth section. The first XI are currently in the Vi-sport Premier league and finished sixth in the 2006/2007 season.

[edit] Swimming

It was announced in June 2007 that the town would be the location of Northern Ireland's first Olympic-sized 50-metre swimming pool, intended to replace the town's ageing leisure centre. The 10-lane indoor pool, which is expected to be completed in 2010, will provide facilities for both local and international athletes training for the 2012 London Olympics.[12]

[edit] Volleyball

North Down volleyball club was established in 1997. Previously the team trained at Newtonards leisure centre then moving to Bangor lesiure centre from Ards in 2004. Currently there is a mens' team competing in the NIVA division 1 league in which the mens' first team won in the 2005/2006 season. After the indoor volleyball season is over, the beach volleyball season begins at Ballyholme Beach during the summer months.

[edit] Places of interest

The McKee Clock
The McKee Clock

[edit] Buildings of note

[edit] Public figures from Bangor

[edit] Areas of Bangor

[edit] Bangor East

[edit] Bangor West

[edit] Bangor South

[edit] Bangor North

  • Town Centre
  • Ward Park
  • Harbour and Marina
  • Pickie Park

[edit] Education

Further and Higher Education

  • North Down and Ards Institute

Secondary/Grammar School:

Primary School:

  • Kilmaine Primary School
  • Grange Park Primary School
  • Bangor Central Primary School
  • Connor House
  • Cygnet House
  • Kilcooley Primary School
  • Ballymagee Primary School
  • Rathmore Primary School
  • St Malachy's Primary School
  • St Comgall's Primary School
  • Bloomfield Primary School
  • Towerview Primary School
  • Ballymagee Primary School
  • Clandeboye Primary School
  • Ballyholme Primary School

[edit] Town twinning

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bangor Marina
  2. ^ Bangor voted most desirable place to live, UTV News, 3 August 2007
  3. ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
  4. ^ "Eclesia Bennchuir fundata est."
  5. ^ www.northdown.go.uk
  6. ^ BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Residents spot strange UFO lights
  7. ^ YouTube video of the BBC News report, 14 May 2007
  8. ^ CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1992
  9. ^ Belfast, Northern Ireland - Average Conditions. BBC Weather Centre. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
  10. ^ Belfast and County Down Railway. Irish Railwayana. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  11. ^ a b Bangor stations. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
  12. ^ Olympic swimming pool for Bangor, BBC News, 16 June, 2007

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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