heritage centres down

The county Down combines so much of the beauty and variety of Northern Ireland within its borders, including St. Patricks Country, The Bronte Homelands, The Mourne Mountains and the Heart of Down. You can follow in St. Patrick's first footsteps on Irish soil from the spot at Ringbane on the shore of Strangford Lough, where he landed in AD 432, via Saul where he preached his first sermon, to Downpatrick where he built a little church.

Slieve Patrick hill has a huge statue (within bro...

Scarva Visitors Centre is located at the dock on the Canal where vast quantities of coal were unloaded for use in the local Linen industry. It helps to explain the building of the Canal, its trade and Scarva's role within this.

Linked to this development, the towpath has been restored from Poyntzpass to the quaintly named Tally-Ho Bridge at Terryhoogan Locks, passing, on the way, Action Lake....

The entrance to Hillsborough Castle is ornamented by a fine set of gates and railings originally erected at Richill Castle in Co. Armagh. Said to have been erected by William Richardson in 1745, and wrought by two brothers named Thornberry from Falmouth in Cornwall, there were moved to Hillsborough in 1936.

The plain railings are contrasted with upright panels bearing spear-and-boss motifs, and the fine central gates are surmounted by an overthrow with a decorative coat of arms....