The museum packs a lot of history into a small but delightful space - a great spot for all ages!
Free, family, museum, north down, historical society, talks, history, tours, castle park, town hall
***Update: Monday 19 October 2020, 2pm - North Down Museum is closed***
In line with the NI Executive Regulations announced on 14 October, North Down Museum will close from 16 October 2020 for a period of four weeks (subject to review).
Coffee Cure at the Museum will also close for the same time period, although the kiosk at the Walled Garden will remain open until 31 October for take-away only.
The safety of our visitors and staff is our priority and we look forward to welcoming you back when it is safe to do so. Thank you for your patience and continued support.
North Down Museum
Tells the story of the North Down area from the Bronze Age to the present day through a series of rooms, each dedicated to a particular era of history. Key artefacts on display include the Bronze Age Ballycroghan Swords, the Bangor Bell from the hugely important Bangor Abbey settlement, and the Raven Maps, the only complete folio of Plantation era maps in Ireland.
North Down Museum is situated at the rear of the Town Hall, Bangor Castle, on Castle Park Avenue. The Castle, built for the Hon. R.E. Ward in 1852, had a courtyard and stables and the Museum has developed around these.
We hope this information whets your appetite to discover more about the North Down area, and we hope to welcome you soon to North Down Museum!
North Down Museum is a FREE attraction in the heart of Bangor. Here you can also rest and enjoy a meal or snack in Coffee Cure, the Museum café.
Check out the Museums Explorers Pack for the kids! A fantastic way to get out and about feeding inquisitive minds (small deposit required).
Take a virtual walk through the museum with this video.
The safety of visitors and staff is upmost priority at this time and work has been carried out behind the scenes to ensure your visit will be as safe as possible. Watch the one way museum walkthrough video
Please note that all larger events have been cancelled for now, however the museum are working to reschedule some exhibitions and smaller scale activity now that venues are reopening.
Exhibitions
North Down Museum houses three temporary exhibition spaces, the Long Gallery, Community Gallery and Café, which host fascinating heritage-based and art exhibitions telling the story of the local area. Our heritage exhibitions are curated by museum staff or in partnership with local heritage groups while our art exhibitions are from local artists and community groups.
Admission to our galleries and exhibitions is free.
Check out current and upcoming exhibitions
Great Wars Trail
North Down Museum, adjacent to Bangor Castle houses a fascinating exhibition on both Wars including the original Victoria Cross awarded to Barry Bingham for his actions at the Battle of Jutland, alongside personal items. There is also a small scale replica of the ‘Lone Sailor’ sculpture, presented to Bangor in recognition of those who offered American GIs a “home away from home”.
