Newtownards: County Down Market Town at the Head of Strangford Lough
Newtownards sits at the northern tip of Strangford Lough in County Down, about 10 miles east of Belfast. The population is around 28,000. The town was established as a planned settlement in the early 17th century during the Plantation of Ulster, though the site has much older roots. The Dominican Priory on Court Street, founded in 1244, survives as a ruin. The Scrabo Tower, a 135-foot memorial built in 1857 on Scrabo Hill above the town in honour of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, is visible across the Ards Peninsula and North Down. The Market Cross in the town square dates to the 17th century. The Somme Heritage Centre at nearby Conlig commemorates the 36th (Ulster) Division's role at the Battle of the Somme.
The town centre around Conway Square, High Street, and Regent Street has a mix of local shops and chains. Ards Shopping Centre handles larger retail. Strangford Lough, a sea inlet and one of the largest enclosed bodies of water in the British Isles, is an internationally important wildlife site. The A20 connects west to Belfast along the southern shore of Belfast Lough, taking about 20 minutes. The A21 heads south down the Ards Peninsula to Portaferry. There is no railway station in Newtownards; the line closed in 1950. Bus services run frequently to Belfast. For those exploring adult companionship in the Ards and North Down area, Newtownards' road connections to Belfast and the surrounding towns provide access across east County Down.
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Newtownards sits at the northern tip of Strangford Lough in County Down, about 10 miles east of Belfast. The population is around 28,000. The town was established as a planned settlement in the early 17th century during the Plantation of Ulster, though the site has much older roots. The Dominican Priory on Court Street, founded in 1244, survives as a ruin. The Scrabo Tower, a 135-foot memorial built in 1857 on Scrabo Hill above the town in honour of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, is visible across the Ards Peninsula and North Down. The Market Cross in the town square dates to the 17th century. The Somme Heritage Centre at nearby Conlig commemorates the 36th (Ulster) Division's role at the Battle of the Somme.
The town centre around Conway Square, High Street, and Regent Street has a mix of local shops and chains. Ards Shopping Centre handles larger retail. Strangford Lough, a sea inlet and one of the largest enclosed bodies of water in the British Isles, is an internationally important wildlife site. The A20 connects west to Belfast along the southern shore of Belfast Lough, taking about 20 minutes. The A21 heads south down the Ards Peninsula to Portaferry. There is no railway station in Newtownards; the line closed in 1950. Bus services run frequently to Belfast. For those exploring adult companionship in the Ards and North Down area, Newtownards' road connections to Belfast and the surrounding towns provide access across east County Down.
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