Welcome to Banbridge.
Immortalised in the song, “The Star of the County Down”, Banbridge owes its development to Lord Downshire and to the once thriving linen industry and where Ferguson’s Linen Factory are widely acknowledged as producers of finest linen Jacquard in the world.
Perhaps its most famous landmark is “The Cut”, running through the centre of the town, developed to allow the Belfast to Dublin mail coach easy passage up the steep hill. To this day it ensures that Banbridge’s main street is one of the most unique in Ireland!
The district can also lay claim to some important personages: literary, artistic and scientific. It was here that world-renowned artist F E McWilliam was born; that the poet W B Yeats’ father was born; that Patrick Bronte, father of the talented Bronte sisters, was born; the author Helen Waddell is buried; Nobel Physics Laureate, Professor E T S Walton received his early schooling and where the famous Arctic explorer, Captain F R M Crozier, was born – a delightful statue, replete with polar bears, commemorating the man!
Famed for its family-run boutiques, hostelries, coffee shops, bakeries, delis and the magnificent FE McWilliam Gallery and retail outlet, The Boulevard, both located a short distance with Banbridge centre, you’ll be spoilt for choice during a day out or an overnight stay.