Banbridge

Not to be confused with Bann Bridge, a bridge in Coleraine.

Banbridge
'The Cut' in Banbridge
Banbridge is located in County Down
Banbridge
Banbridge
Location within County Down
Population17,400 (2021 census)
• Belfast21 mi (34 km)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBANBRIDGE
Postcode districtBT32
Dialling code028
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Down
54°20′56″N 6°16′12″W / 54.348953°N 6.269975°W / 54.348953; -6.269975

Banbridge (/bænˈbrɪdʒ/ ban-BRIJ,[2] Irish: Droichead na Banna pronounced [d̪ˠɾˠɪçəd̪ˠ n̪ˠə ˈbˠan̪ˠə][3]) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper, Upper Half.[4] The town began as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing. The town was home to the headquarters of the former Banbridge District Council. Following a reform of local government in Northern Ireland in 2015, Banbridge became part of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. It had a population of 17,400 in the 2021 census.[5]

The town's main street is very unusual, rising to a steep hill before levelling out. In 1834 an underpass was built as horses with heavy loads would faint before reaching the top of the hill. It was built by William Dargan and is officially named 'Downshire Bridge', though it is often called "The Cut".

  1. ^ Daein Gairdens fur Wilelife Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Northern Ireland Department of the Environment.
  2. ^ G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 10.
  3. ^ "Droichead na Banna/Banbridge". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Banbridge". IreAtlas Townlands Database. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2021pop was invoked but never defined (see the help page).