Bangor Castle

Bangor Castle has long stood as a symbol of heritage and civic pride in Ards and North Down. The Council is proud to own the building, which has served as a headquarters for local government since 1952.

While committed to retaining ownership of the building, the Council is progressing plans for a new administrative and civic headquarters in Bangor City Centre.

This provides the opportunity to reimagine Bangor Castle site with a new purpose.

Why Change is Needed

The Council has a large estate and wants to make the best use of it.
We have reviewed our future office needs and all our administrative buildings.
We only need 50% of our current office footprint moving forward.
Moving to a new, smaller and more efficient facility will, over time, be of less cost to the ratepayer than continuing in the current expansive estate, including (and especially) Bangor Castle.
Despite its grandeur, Bangor Castle faces significant challenges e.g. poor accessibility, outdated infrastructure and inefficient use of space. It cannot meet the demands of a modern workplace, nor can it house all the council employees that we want to bring together.
North Down Museum, housed on the Bangor Castle site, also struggles with limited display capacity, environmental controls and accessibility.
Maintaining the building in its current condition is very expensive. If the Council decided to keep it as office space, very substantial investment would be required moving forward.

The Council's goal is clear: to respectfully unlock the full potential of this iconic site, ensuring it can deliver economic and community value and preserve the Castle and its grounds for future generations. Retaining it as office space for the Council will not deliver this.

Exploring the Options

In September 2024, the Council appointed global consultants Barker Langham to produce outline business cases for repurposing Bangor Castle and potentially relocating North Down Museum. After a Situation Analysis and scoring a long list of options, the following five shortlisted options were taken forward for a full appraisal:

1. Small Business Workspace and Museum
This option retains the museum and introduces private office space. Offers some economic benefits, but lacks financial sustainability and limits public access.

2. Small Business Workspace Only
Relocating the museum off-site and converting the entire castle into private workspaces. This offers high employment potential but minimal public access.

3. Cultural Arts Centre and Museum
A creative hub combining museum galleries, artist studios, and learning spaces. Though rich in placemaking potential, it would require ongoing financial support.

4. Boutique Hotel and Wedding Venue
Transforming the castle into a luxury hotel with public amenities and event spaces. This balances heritage preservation with economic viability and public access.

5. Larger Hotel and Wedding Venue
An expanded version of option 4 this includes a new extension, 43 rooms, and extensive event facilities. Highest economic return and long-term sustainability.

The Recommended Way Forward

A report on the future of Bangor Castle was considered and agreed by Council in May 2025 (following Corporate Committee in May). The report detailed that following evaluation against key outcomes (options appraisal), the hotel options (4 + 5) were the only opportunities that could preserves the architectural integrity of Bangor Castle while also ensuring its financial sustainability.

They both represent a transformative opportunity with economic benefit to the city and wider Borough and:

deliver more / better public access
require no ongoing financial subvention
secures the historic building for the public for the future.

Reimagining the Museum

In both scenarios North Down Museum will be relocated to a fit-for-purpose facility in Bangor city centre. This will allow for expanded exhibitions, improved environmental conditions, and greater community engagement. As well as enabling the Museum offering to grow and generating footfall into Bangor city centre.

Next steps

Council has approved the principle of the site being converted into a landmark wedding venue and boutique hotel. Over the coming months we will be developing:

An Outline Business Case (OBC) for the redevelopment as a wedding venue and boutique hotel.
A separate OBC for relocating North Down Museum to a new site.

Shaping the Future of Bangor Castle and North Down Museum: Public Information Session

Bangor Castle, City Hall Bangor | Saturday 23 August | 10am to noon and 2.30pm to 5pm

Join us at this information session to find out more about the process, findings and next steps. Please note this is an informal drop-in session.

Everyone welcome.

BANGOR CASTLE AND NORTH DOWN MUSEUM OUTLINE BUSINESS CASES (OBC) Jan 25 v2 (PDF, 661 KB) (opens new window) View Bangor Castle And North Down Museum Outline Business Cases (OBC)

Bangor Castle and North Down Museum OBC Timeline (PDF, 127 KB) (opens new window) View Bangor Castle and North Down Museum OBC Timeline

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Council planning to move from Bangor Castle?

There are two main reasons:

The Council's office-based employees currently work across ten buildings, including Bangor Castle. Consolidating these staff into one building will promote collaboration and enable the Council to offer a wide range of services from a central location. We only need 50% of our current office space moving forward, so transitioning to a smaller, more efficient facility will ultimately be less costly to the ratepayer.
Bangor Castle is a beautiful heritage building but is very costly to maintain and presents significant challenges e.g. poor accessibility, outdated infrastructure and inefficient use of space. It cannot meet the demands of a modern civic workplace. Council has to explore alternate uses that will secure the future of the building for future generations by making it economically sustainable.

Essentially using the building as we currently do, is not good for its long-term prospects! We want it to remain as a heritage asset for the Borough but for this to happen, we need to look at other uses for it. This also provides Council with a unique opportunity to reimage the Castle to support social and economic regeneration.

Who owns Bangor Castle?

The Castle is owned by Ards and North Down Borough Council. In any future usage arrangement, the Council will retain ownership of the site.

Whilst referred to as Bangor Castle, the building, is in fact an Elizabethan-Jacobean Revival and Baronial mansion house.
It was built for the Hon. Robert Edward Ward between 1847-52. Robert Ward's daughter Maud was the last family member to live in the house, which was put on the market after her death in 1941.
In November 1941, the Council purchased the freehold title of the Mansion House, together with 158 acres of parkland for the sum of £35,500 and spent the next ten years renovating the property, which had fallen into disrepair, and making parts of the park accessible to the public.
The Bangor Borough Council offices were opened at the site in 1952 and local government has run services from the building ever since.

Can the public access Bangor Castle?

The Castle building serves as the headquarters for the Ards and North Down Borough Council, so access to the interior is limited to:

a) Reception area for accessing Council services

b) The Craig Room and Chamber - used for weddings/ civic receptions and meetings.

The public can visit North Down Museum and the grounds of Bangor Castle including the award winning Bangor Castle Walled Garden

In any future usage model the Council has committed to maintaining public access to the Castle Park grounds and increasing public access to the Bangor Castle building.

When will changes happen?

We are at the start of a process.

Council has approved the principle of the site being converted into a boutique hotel. Over the coming months we will be developing:

· An Outline Business Case (OBC) for the redevelopment of the site as a wedding venue and boutique hotel.

· A separate OBC for relocating the North Down Museum to a new site.

These business cases will be used to help decide upon the viability of the options before committing capital funding. The OBCs will explain why change is needed, look at different ways it can be achieved and then recommend the best option to deliver on the agreed objectives. They will also check if the proposals are affordable, offer good value for money, and can be successfully delivered.

The OBCs will help Council and the public understand the benefits, costs, risks, and how the project would be managed if it goes ahead. Only then will a decision be made as to the future of the Bangor Castle site.

Could converting Bangor Castle to a hotel protect its Grade A Listed Building status?

Converting Bangor Castle into a boutique hotel offers a sustainable and heritage-sensitive solution for preserving its Grade A Listed status. This adaptive reuse aligns with guidance from the Historic Environment Division (HED) that we must work to ensure the building's architectural integrity is maintained while securing its long-term viability. Hotel use typically involves minimal structural alterations and prioritises high-quality restoration, enhancing the building's original features. Such conversions also provide a financially sustainable model, with revenue generated supporting ongoing maintenance and conservation. Moreover, historic hotels serve as cultural attractions, allowing guests to experience the character of a stately home within a modern hospitality setting thereby reinforcing the building's relevance and public value.

What is going to happen to North Down Museum?

An outline business case is being developed exploring how and where North Down Museum could be relocated. This move must enable it to showcase the current collection, retain its Museum accreditation and grow its educational and community engagement programme.

The vision is to find a new location in central Bangor that offers improved spaces and facilities, with much better accessibility, environmental conditions and exhibition spaces. Thus enabling the museum offering to grow, as well as supporting footfall generation into Bangor city centre.

How can I find our more or be kept updated about the plans?

Information about the plans for Bangor Castle will be posted on the Council's website and on our engagement platform - Go Vocal.