Heritage, Heart and Hope – Bangor's Successful Bid for City Status

27th May 2022

Ards and North Down Borough Council is delighted that Bangor has been successful in its bid for City Status as part of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition.

For the first time in a City Status competition, an expert panel worked with Ministers to make their recommendations, before being approved by Her Majesty The Queen. 

With 38 entries from towns across the UK as well as for the first time, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, the selection of Bangor for City Status is a tremendous recognition of the place, its people and its potential. 

When preparing the City Bid Status, Ards and North Down Borough Council looked at three tenets to Bangor’s claim for city status: Heritage, Heart and Hope. 

Bangor’s Heritage claim tells of global monastic influence, renowned Christian scholarship, industrial growth and innovation, and proud naval traditions. Known as ‘Bangor Mor’, meaning ‘Great Bangor’, in the medieval period, Bangor was identified on the c.1300AD Hereford Mappa Mundi as having city status. Thus, in its history and its heritage, which are still celebrated across the town, Bangor is a city. It remains worthy of that status to the present day.  

Bangor’s Heart claim tells of our present and why people love to live, do business and visit here. 

Bangor’s Hope claim tells of our plans for the future and why we see Bangor once again being ‘Bangor Mor’ (Great Bangor). 

Councillor Mark Brooks, Mayor of Ards and North Down:

 “I am delighted by the news of Bangor’s success in the City Status Competition.  It would be an honour for the town and people of Bangor to receive at any time but coming as part of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations makes it extra special.  

City Status isn’t judged on the size of your town and isn’t dependent on having particular assets such as a Cathedral, rather it’s about heritage, pride and potential.  When putting forward the case for Bangor we found evidence of each of these in abundance.  I would like to put on record my thanks to all those who contributed to Bangor’s application – both in terms of their words of support but more importantly in terms of their practical and ongoing work in the local area.  

Bangor has been given a great boost today and I’m extremely proud of this new and significant accolade for our Borough.”