Bangor Castle

The site was first occupied by Bangor Abbey which was founded by St. Comgall in 558 and was home to Franciscan friars until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1542. A mansion was built on the site for Sir James Hamilton, who had acted as an agent and informant for King James I, in around 1611: it was remodelled in the late 18th century. The current building was commissioned by The Hon Robert Edward Ward, who had served as High Sheriff of Down for 1842 and was a brother of the 3rd Viscount Bangor. It was designed by the Scottish architect, William Burn, in the Jacobethan style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1852. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage with five bays facing east. The first bay on the left featured a three-stage castellated tower with a corner clock turret, which was surmounted by a pyramid-shaped roof and a weather vane. The second bay, which contained a porch with an arched doorway, the third bay and the fourth bay were all recessed: they were fenestrated by mullioned and transomed windows on the lower floors and by dormer windows at attic level. The right hand two bays were also fenestrated by mullioned and transomed windows but were gabled. Internally, the mansion contained 35 bedrooms and a huge salon for musical recitals: the violinist, William Henley, performed in the chamber at a concert hosted by the Belfast Orchestral Society in July 1893. Ward's only daughter and heiress, Matilda Catherine Maude, married the 5th Baron Clanmorris in 1878. After his death in 1916, Lady Clanmorris retained possession of the house until her own death in 1941.