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STREET DIRECTORIES TRANSCRIBED
1805 - 1806 - 1807 - 1808 - 1819 - 1843 - 1852 - 1861 - 1868 - 1877 - 1880 - 1890 - 1894
1901 - 1907 - 1908 - 1909 - 1910 - 1912 - 1918 - 1924 - 1932 - 1939 - 1943 - 1947 - 1951 - 1955 - 1960
1913 Tel. directory    1824 Pigots (Belfast)  &  (Bangor)   1894 Waterford Directory
1898 Newry Directory      Bangor Spectator Directory 1970

Bangor Pages   1  -  2  -  3  -  4  -  5  -  6  -  7  -  8

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Bangor Booklet 2
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Bangor is situated at a distance of about twelve miles by rail from Belfast, to which port passengers are booked by all railway companies in the United Kingdom.  Visitors from England and Scotland wishing to reach Bangor by a short sea route can arrange to travel by daylight from Scotland via Ardrossan or Stranraer, to which latter port there is a direct service from London.  But the first view of Bangor from the placid waters of the Belfast Lough can be equally secured by any of the routes, including the commodious and fast services from Liverpool, Fleetwood, and Heysham.  Shortly after entering Belfast Lough, passengers to Bangor get their first glimpse of the place of destination.  The town of Bangor can be clearly seen to the south. The coast scenery for miles is surpassingly beautiful. There are few watering-places whose irregularity of the shore line produces a more pleasing diversity of scenic effects. The main street of the town descends a gentle hill to the Bay, the formation of which is followed in the building of handsome villas. After half-an-hour's sailing from this point the port of Belfast is reached. Quickly disembarking, a ten minutes' walk, via the Queen's Bridge, brings the tourist to the County Down Railway Station. Trains at frequent intervals from 6.25 a.m. till 11.15 p.m. run to Bangor, which is reached in thirty-five minutes. Fares - First class, 1/6; second class, 1/-; third class, 9d. The history of Bangor is contemporary with that of Christianity in Ireland. In the early centuries it was a great seat of learning, and from its famous monastery missionaries carried the Gospel to distant parts of Europe. Its name is a corruption of Ban Chor, "the White Choir." The ancient Abbey was sacked on several occasions by the Danes, and at length burned to the ground by Com O'Neill, the turbulent lord of the soil. It was shortly after this latter event that Bangor as a civic institution had its rise. In reward for services rendered on behalf of James VI. of Scotland, before his accession to the throne of England, a native of Scotland named James Hamilton was granted a portion of the lands of the fallen house of O'Neill. He founded the Corporation of Bangor, and became its first Provost.
In 1813 James I. constituted Bangor a Borough, giving the Corporation the right to return two members of Parliament - a right which they exercised till the time of the Union. At this time the town consisted of one manor and eighty new houses, inhabited exclusively by Scotch and English settlers.
In these early days Bangor was altogether self-supporting, having extensive cotton manufactories in its midst; but the town, during the last half century, has gradually receded from its industrial character and become more and more a residential town.
Its splendid situation, at a convenient distance from Belfast, combined with its excellent bathing facilities, early made it a popular resort for the prosperous merchant classes of the rising town of Belfast. The lords of the soil - the late R. E. Ward, Esq., and Viscount Bangor - discouraged manufactories in order to foster the growth of the town as a fashionable suburb of Belfast. On the adoption of the Towns Improvement Act, some thirty years ago and onward, the policy of the Ward family was continued by the popularly elected authorities, with the result that to-day, while Bangor is the wealthiest urban district in Ireland, there is not one chimney-stack from a manufacturing concern in the whole town, if we except one laundry and the Municipal Gasworks.                                  >>>

Old Bangor appears to have been a long, straggling village, reaching from Fisher Hill (now Victoria Road) to the Old Abbey Church, the neighbourhood of which is still known as Old Bangor. From this humble beginning the town has, during the last two decades, extended itself right round both sides of the bay. Bangor is finely situated - a fact which is very much accentuated when the town is viewed from the deck of a vessel out in the Lough. The picturesque villas seem to rise from the water's edge in amphitheatre style, and extend like arms encircling the Bay for miles on either side. This gradual rising of the ground accounts to a large extent for the wonderfully short time necessary after a shower to dry the streets; otherwise, notwithstanding the great care exercised by the Urban District Council to keep the roads in good order, the streets might have been bereft of the pleasing appearance of cleanliness which is so characteristic of them, particularly bearing in mind that the sub-soil is composed of clay, thus making ideal conditions for perfect sanitation.
Nature, aided by Art, has made Bangor one of the most beautiful and healthy towns in Ireland, its average death-rate being only 9.88.

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The Esplanade - Photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

View of the Bay and Fishermen's Harbour - Photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

The Sands, Ballyholme
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Bangor has a remarkable place in the legendary remains of Ireland, but it was not until some time after the introduction of Christianity that it became of importance. About eighty-four years after the landing of St. Patrick, in the year 432, St. Comgall, who was the founder of Bangor, was born at the place now called Magheramourne, on the shores of Larne Lough. Comgall studied at Clonard, Glasnevin, and Clenenagh, then celebrated schools. After teaching for some seven years in Ulster, he settled, in the year 558, at the place then, as now, known as Bangor. He built a church and established a monastery, comprising not merely a church, but a college and schools, a mill, and everything else that was needed for the support of the community. Comgall's settlement grew from year to year, until, it is said, 3,000 souls were under his care. He framed rules for the guidance of his community, the fame of which spread far and wide. Bangor, under Comgall, was wonderfully successful as a missionary college. He sent out bands of missionaries to Britain and over the whole Continent. Columbanus, his most distinguished pupil, went to the Continent with a number of companions, and there founded Churches amongst the Franks, Suevi, and Allemani. St. Gall, another pupil, and a companion of Columbanus, preached in Switzerland, and gave his name to one of the Swiss Cantons. To this day the name of the Canton of St. Gall bears testimony to the work done in Bangor more than a thousand years ago.
The later traditions of the greatness of Bangor under Comgall are summed up by Bernard, in his "Life of Malachy," thus: "For in the early times there had existed in this place, under the founder, Comgall, a most noble institution, the parent of many thousand monks, the head of many monasteries; a place it was, truly sacred, the nursery of saints, who brought forth fruit most abundantly to the glory of God, insomuch that one of the sons of that holy congregation, Luanus by name, is alone reputed to have been the founder of a hundred monasteries, which I mention that the reader may, from this single instance, form a conception of the number to which the remainder of the community amounted. Nor was it only into the countries I have mentioned, but even into distant lands, that crowds of saints, like an inundation, poured - one of whom, St. Columbanus, penetrating into these our regions of Gaul, built the monastery of Luxniew, and there became a great multitude."
Bangor was called Bangor Mor, or the Great, to distinguish it from Bangor in Wales, called Bangor Britonum, or "of the Britons." Its antiquity as a Christian Church will be understood when it is remembered that at the time of Comgall's death, the year 602, Augustine, the first missionary from Rome to Saxon England, was but three or four years in the country. Indeed, he is only recognised as Archbishop of Canterbury the year before (601). Bangor, therefore, as a Christian settlement, is older than Canterbury by nearly fifty years. About this time, a Bangor man, Bishop Dagan, created no small stir in England. Being in that country, he met Laurence, Archbishop of Canterbury, the successor of St. Augustine, and two other bishops. On account of the difference between the Roman customs and those of the Celtic Churches of Britain and Ireland, he refused to have communion with these bishops, or even to be in the same house with them. Laurence thereupon writes a letter to the Irish Bishops and Abbots expressing his surprise. It is preserved by the historian of the English Church, the Venerable Bede:-
"To our most dear Brothers, the Lords Bishops and Abbots throughout all Ireland, Laurentius, Mellitus, and Justus, servants of the servants of God,--                    >>>

"When the Apostolic See, according to the universal custom which it has followed elsewhere, sent us to these western parts to preach to pagan nations, we came into this island, which is called Britain, without possessing any previous knowledge of its inhabitants. We held both the British and Irish in great esteem for sanctity, believing that they had proceeded according to the custom of the universal Church; but, becoming acquainted with the errors of the Britons, we thought the Irish had been better; but we have been informed by Bishop Dagan, coming into this aforesaid island, and the Abbot Columbanus, in France, that the Irish in no way differ from the Britons in their behaviour; for Bishop Dagan, coming to us, not only refused to eat with us, but even to take his repast in the same house where we were entertained."
An interesting notice of the influence that Bangor has upon the music of the Church occurs amongst the addenda to the first volume of O'Curry's "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish," by Professor W. K. Sullivan. Amongst other statements, the following is quoted: "St. Wandilochus, being sent thence (from Bangor) forth as a preacher by St. Comogill, as also St. Columbanus, they arrived at Louvaine, in Gaul, and there they chanted the same service (that ascribed to St. Mark), and thence the fame of their sanctity was spread over the earth." With the eighth century closes the period of ancient Bangor's greatest ecclesiastical prosperity. Continuous services are kept up.

In the reign of this King, we read that John Gibson, M.A., was Incumbent of Bangor and Dean of Down. His tombstone, still remaining in the old Abbey Church, bears this excellent testimony: "Here lyes beloue and learned and Reverend Father in Godes Church, Mester John Gibson, sence Reformacione from Popery the first Dean of Downe, sent by His Majestie into this Kingdom, and received by my Lord Claneboy, to be preacher at Bangor. At his entry had XL communicants, and at his departour this Lyf, 23 of Junii, 1623, left 1,200 being of age 63 years. So Christ was his advantage bothe in lyfe and deathe."
The Lord Claneboy, better known as Sir James Hamilton, a scion of an old Scottish house, was one of the Scottish friends and followers of King James. He, with others, received large grants of land in Ulster. Sir James Hamilton's grant lay in the north of County Down, and comprised the property and rights of the dissolved Monastery of Bangor, including the right of appointing ministers to the parishes belonging to the Monastery. He, in accordance with the terms of his patent, planted his lands with Scottish settlers. With these, and with the Scottish troops in the north, came their own ministers, and thus was begun the Scots, now called the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Lord Claneboy was very anxious to provide for the spiritual good of his Scottish Presbyterian settlers. The way he took to do this was to appoint Scottish Presbyterian ministers to the livings in his gift.
On the death of Dean Gibson, Robert Blair was appointed minister by Lord Claneboy. He had been a professor of Glasgow University, and had always been a great opposer of prelacy and liturgy. Viscount Claneboy, however, procured his admission, as Blair says himself, "on easy and honourable terms." Bishop Echlin, when Blair stated his objections to episcopacy and liturgy, said, "I hear good of you, and will impose no conditions on you," and offered at his ordination to come in among the "adjacent brethren" in no other relation than a presbyter; for the
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 Bishop said, "I must ordain you, else neither you nor I can answer the law nor brook the land." Thus, on the 10th July, 1623, Robert Blair became minister of the Church in Bangor. But the Irish Presbyterians sympathised with the struggle of their kinsmen in Scotland against the Episcopalian form of Church government; and when Blair would not conform to the customs and rules of the Church of Ireland, he was suspended, and at last deposed in November, 1634. For two years after this he continued ministering to the Presbyterian Scottish people. This was the origin of the Presbyterian congregation of Bangor, which has now grown into three large and important Churches.
The old Abbey Church occupies the site consecrated by Comgall, where now for 1,352 years praises and prayers have been offered to Almighty God.

     These beautiful, terraced walks and promenade stretch considerably over a mile around the western side of Bangor Bay. Entered from Queen's Parade, of which the Gardens are a continuation, a visitor, judging from the breadth of the Main Road, would naturally conclude that is was a carriage drive. Far from that, the walks are sacred to the pedestrian after 11 a.m. Up till which hour cyclists are permitted to ride to and from the Bathing Places. No vehicular traffic of any kind is allowed. Formerly the path around this side of the Bay was narrow and rugged. The Urban Council, however, in recent years spent a considerable sum in improving the Gardens. What is now the main artery, fringed in many parts by green grassy banks, is an artificial pathway, cut through solid rock, or made passable by filling in of deep depressions. The gully, up which the tide flows to the very wall skirting the main walk, formerly cut away inland, leaving only a narrow passage for pedestrians. This main promenade is connected to a parallel walk by many winding paths and shady lanes through the trees, leading to sheltered nooks and sunny corners, where rustic chairs and seats are placed for the accommodation of visitors. Although, in laying out the Gardens, more thought was given to developing the natural beauties of the situation than to the embellishments of the horticulturist, still the grounds are in no wise destitute of beauty from a botanical standpoint......

Marine Gardens at Jenny Watt's Cove, with view of H.M. Warships in the Bay.  Photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

     .....The seashore flora, mosses, lichen, ferns, and flowering shrubs peep out from every cranny of the natural, but none the less picturesque, rockeries, one of the very best of which is perhaps that pretty alcove behind Pickie. From seats above the rockery a very good view can be had of the eastern side of the town.
     In the dusk of a summer evening it is delightful to sit here under the trees and listen to the music of the military band, wafted across the Bay from the Esplanade beyond. The view is picturesque, enhanced by the white wings of a multitude yachts, and the carol of many happy voices from the pleasure crafts gliding to and fro in the inner bay, But to better enjoy a view of the yachts, we must walk a little further through the Gardens to the seats above the Crescent. The walks here climb to a heights of some fifty feet, and a splendid panoramic view of the Town and Bay is afforded. The scene, especially at flood tide, is one to be remembered. At our feet the water surges and gurgles; now it flows through the crevices and up the ravines, swelling and circling and covering the many pointed rocks which stud the strand; now it recedes, leaving the jagged points in all their bareness; again it comes, and the tangle beds of wrack undulate in sympathetic unison. Away across the Bay we see the Battery of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, with the imposing Club House itself in the near background. The pennant is flying: the races of the day have not yet ended. A puff of smoke and the boom of the gun announce that the winner has crossed the line. Then another, and still another gun, tell us of a close finish, while the stragglers are seen beating up to the mark. Far out in the Lough are the great sheets of the big yachts running close to the wind, while the butterfly class known as the "Insect" swarm in a big cluster nearer inshore.

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Morning at Pickie Bathing Place  photos by G. Lowden, Bangor

     Not only do these sheltered slopes command one of the best views which can be obtained of the almost daily yacht or boat races, but their higher portions make an admirable standpoint for a survey of the near and distant shore.
     Seated on one of the chairs above Skippingstone one sees the Bay beneath dotted with the forms of lady bathers, many of whom are powerful swimmers and not afraid to venture from the quieter waters of the pond into the open Bay. Immediately beyond is the New Pier with its bandstand, while further off is the Battery, and running sharply out into the Bay is Luke's Point, which appears picturesque, barbed with white walls of the Clifton Bathing House. Then away in the background is Ballymacormick Point, that stands, with Luke's Point, sentry-like guarding the sands of Ballyholme Bay, which, however, we are unable to see from our standpoint.

Royal Belfast Golf Club House (from Marine Gardens)  photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

     From here the misty outline of the Scotch coast can be seen, and on clear days, particularly in Autumn, even the fields and hills of the sister island can be plainly discerned. Round the bend, beyond the Crescent, we get a panoramic view of the Antrim coast, with its green and brown landscape, and darker patches of woodland. Right away from the hills brooding over Belfast, the eye travels past the ancient and historic Castle of Carrickfergus to the Blackhead, which seems but a gun-shot distant from Scotland, and beyond Blackhead we can see the perpendicular cliff of "The Gobbins," in which is a series of natural caves said to have been used by smugglers in the olden times. The County Down Railway Company's Steamer sails from Bangor past "The Gobbins" at frequent intervals during the visitor's season. But without crossing the Lough, we can view at least the entrance to a cave of romance nearer home. We have now reached the rugged wall overlooking Jenny Watt's Cave, into which at high tide the waves growl and gurgle. This cave is not on a par with the spacious natural excavations on the Antrim Coast opposite. Tradition says, however, that in days gone by it was not silted up as we now find it. There is no doubt the water runs underground for a very considerable distance; but, when the tide is out, the entrance to the cave is so filled with sand that it is impossible to creep, even on hands and knees, for any great length. Legend says that the smugglers of old, with whom the Belfast Lough was infested, had a passage from here to Rathgael, some three miles inland. Others state that this cavern is connected with the cave on the side of the Belfast Road, about three quarters of a mile from Bangor; but whether the latter account is correct or otherwise, there is no doubt that in the line of these two caves, particularly on the Brunswick Road, a hollow sound can be plainly heard when heavy traffic passes.

A Long Swim from Pickie   photo by M. Gibson, Bangor
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     The Gardens from this point, in conjunction with the terraced grounds and wooded slopes of the adjoining villas, offer some of the prettiest scenery imaginable. Among these buildings may be noticed the "Homes of Rest," erected by charitable bequests and donations. They have been built at various times, until there are now four - for girls, for mothers and children, for cripples, and for young men. These "Homes" are for the benefit of the labouring classes who require rest, but are not in a position to pay the whole expense of living in apartments at a seaside resort.
     The Links of the Royal Belfast Golf Club at Carnalea succeed the Gardens, and the pedestrian who has come thus far will find a pretty walk very agreeably prolonged if he follows the shore line below the links to Carnalea, from which he can return to Bangor by train or by road, as shown with a diagram at page 84 of the Guide.

     I find that hardly a case of infectious disease has its origins in the town. The sanitary arrangements and water supply are excellent. The entire town is kept remarkably clean. The hilly character of the district causes rapid surface drainage, and this, in conjunction with the very low rainfall, results in the streets drying very quickly. In summer the streets are watered from a motor watering cart with salt water, and consequently a beautiful road surface is obtained, free from dust. The air is dry, rarefied, bracing, and peculiarly exhilarating. This causes freer and more vigorous circulation, and the tissue change and elimination to be more active and rapid. A welcome feature to residents is the cooler temperature in the summer as compared with the cities, and even the adjoining country, whilst in winter a low temperature has not the unpleasant characteristics of damper districts, the dry atmosphere making the keenest frosts enjoyable and bracing. The configuration of the town permits of the free ventilation of even the most sheltered parts, and the importance of this in preventing stagnation of the air accounts for the mortality returns being extraordinarily low, notwithstanding the fact that many invalids are sent to Bangor. Cases of enteric are almost unknown, and this is, no doubt, largely due to the first-class water supply and perfect sanitary conditions.

The Pickie Rock

     From the earliest times the Pickie Rock has been famous as an ideal bathing place. Its popularity with swimmers dates back to a period long anterior to the date when it was first chosen as a site for a bathing house. A long natural promontory, it juts out some eighty yards into the Bay, and thus presents ample depth of water in which to dive at all stages of the tide. The clean cut natural face of the rock facing seaward is provided with a series of spring-boards, placed in positions to suit every phase of the ebb and flow, either of which is equally good for bathing. Bangor waters have the great advantage that the currents are imperceptible, and there is thus no danger to swimmers at any stage of the tide.
     While bathing in an artificial pond can never, we think, compare with an invigorating plunge into the crystal depths of the swelling tide, learners and non-swimmers have been provided with a tidal pond one hundred feet by thirty feet at the southern side of the Pickie Rock. This basin is built of concrete, and is provided with the necessary steps, swing rope down the centre, ladders, and springboards. It is emptied and refilled at every tide, and thoroughly cleansed at regular intervals. The depth is graded from three feet to seven, so that in the still waters of the pond a good opportunity is afforded to learn the useful art of swimming.

Skippingstone Bathing Place
For Ladies

     Skippingstone takes its name from the deposit of smooth stones which are found in this neighbourhood. The name has long been associated with a bathing place for ladies, and is situated about two hundred and fifty yards to the west of the Pickie. Bathing facilities are here provided on much the same lines as at the gentlemen's place, there being a tidal pond (one foot to six feet gradient), and also spring-boards, from which the "sea-nymphs" can indulge in "headers" into the open sea.

Clifton Bathing Place
For Gentlemen

     The same facilities, but on a smaller scale as at Pickie bathing place, are provided at Clifton on the east side of the Bay for the residents in that locality.

For Ladies

     This bathing house is situated at the edge of the rocks facing Ballyholme Bay, a stretch of sand over a mile long, where mixed bathing is permitted.

Hours Open

Pickie (Gentlemen's) 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. till 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. till 5 p.m. Sundays
Skippingstone (Ladies') 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. till 10 a.m. Sundays
Clifton (Gentlemen's) 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. till 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays
Clifton (Ladies') 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. till 10 a.m. Sundays
Ballyholme - Mixed bathing on sands. No charge

Charges

Admission twopence, including use of towel and costume if desired. A book of thirty tickets, available for the season only, can be purchased at the Pickie or Skippingstone bathing places, or at the Collector's Office at the Town Hall, at the following prices:-
Adults - admission and use of requisites, 3/-.  Juveniles under fourteen years of age - admission only, 2/-

     The Royal Ulster Yacht Club was established in 1866, but it was not until the year 1869 that it was entitled to the distinction "Royal." The late Marquess of Dufferin and Ava was Commodore of the Club for many years, and continued as such until his death. In the year 1902 the Earl of Shaftesbury was elected, and still continues to hold that office.

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Regatta Day - View from Royal Ulster Yacht Club House    photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

     In the years 1900 and 1901 Sir Thomas Lipton raced for the America Cup under the Club's flag, and although unsuccessful, yet "Hope springs eternal in the human breast"; and who knows but that America's struggle to regain the Cup may, in the near future, be watched from the windows of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club House.
     With one exception, the headquarters of the Club are the finest in the United Kingdom; and the Annual Regatta, which occupies two days, is held in June, and attracts the finest racing yachts from all quarters of the British Isles. The King's Cup is one of the many trophies open to competition.

                "Nearing the Mark"                     "On The Starting Line"            "A Good Start"       
all photos by S. W. McCormick, Bangor

"Away"
Yachting
photo by S. W. McCormick, Bangor

     Bangor is the principal yachting centre of the North of Ireland. Here is situated the headquarters of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, whose club house is the finest of the kind in the Kingdom, if we except that of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes. On each occasion, with the exception of the last, on which Sir Thomas Lipton has endeavoured to bring back the America Cup, the challenge has been issued by the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. The Club's Annual Regatta, a two-day fixture, is held in the third week of June, and is one of the most important yachting events in Ireland, and attracts all the crack boats in British water. Inter-club races are also held on alternate Saturdays throughout the season with the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, whose headquarters are at Cultra.
     The Ballyholme Sailing Club has recently erected a club house and laid out tennis courts on their grounds over-looking Ballyholme Bay. Races by this Club are held weekly.  The Bangor Bay Sailing Club has also its headquarters in Bangor, and holds races twice weekly.

A request for my impressions of the Bangor Golf Club I regard as a compliment, and, after many enjoyable games on the excellent course, and many pleasant times spent with the members of this Sporting Club, I have much pleasure in responding. The course is easy of access to visitors to, and residents of, Bangor. It is off the Hamilton Road, just past the New Technical Institute, and a few minutes' walk from the Bangor Town Hall. The entrance is modest, and the Club House, which is immediately inside, and of which an illustration is given, is roomy, comfortable, and well fitted up, and visitors are welcomed and made at home by the courteous Club Steward and his staff. The fee for visitors are as follows:- 2/- per day (after four p.m., 1/-); 7/6 per week; 20/- per month; and 30/- per three months. In the case of Lady Golders the charges are lower, and they have a separate Club House at the entrance to the course.
     For a smaller additional charge Lockers are provided for visitors, and this is a desirable extension of their privileges. The Club House contains a fine Billiard Table, which is useful on a wet day, and the catering, though the Club does not boast of a £20,000 House, is well up to high water-mark. The course itself is an inland one, but the turf, in the season, is perfect, and, with the many long holes, there is plenty of scope for the use of every club in one's bag - even for the baker's dozen or so that some players possess, and the desire (or shall I rather say necessity) of getting in at least one stroke with each in playing a single hole.
     The Club management have evidently had in their minds all the time the well-known golfing axiom, "That the game is lost or won on the putting green," and special attention has been devoted to the putting greens. By constant weeding, dressing, and attention, the Bangor Golf Club had, in 1909, as good greens as I have had the pleasure of playing on, and in 1910 they are still better. Truly may it be said in Golf that "the hand that (deftly) wields the putter wins the game"; quotation - source unknown.
     Personally, I am strongly in favour of having the putting greens as perfect as possible. Clubly, the Bangor Golfers appear to be of the same opinion, and they have acted up to it. There is great variety in the greens. There are flat or billiard-table greens, Billowy greens, cup greens, elevated greens, greens that fall away from you, and greens that lie to you (even more consistently than your friends, partners, or opponents do when talking Golf). There is one unusual green (the fourth), which is like an inverted plate, and a perfect circle of 22 yards diameter, raised about two feet from the level of the course, and requiring great accuracy in approach. The Golfer who takes more than two putts on a Bangor green should - well - practise putting.
     I will not weary you with a lengthened description of the course, but the following particulars of the length of the various holes and the bogey score for each will be interesting:-

Distance of Holes

HOLE        LENGTH IN YARDS        BOGEY              HOLE         LENGTH IN YARDS           BOGEY
     1                 265                          4                     10                      320                            4
     2                 271                          4                     11                      280                            4
     3                 304                          4                     12                      220                            4
     4                 227                          4                     13                      430                            5
     5                 312                          4                     14                      430                            5
     6                  300                         4                     15                      404                            5
     7                  442                         5                     16                      120                            3
     8                  122                         3                     17                      530                            6
     9                  338                         4                     18                      275                            4
     Totals of first 9 holes             2581 yards
     Totals of second 9 holes        3009 yards
     Total Number of Yards          5590

     It is, perhaps, a pity that Bangor has not sea or natural golf turf about the course, but even an enterprising Club like Bangor could not very well see their way to shift the surface of the earth for the hundred or so acres of ground that make up "their little lot." They have done excellently well with the material at their disposal, and, as an inland course, from all points of view, it is hard to beat. From a scenic point of view, to any other than an ardent Golfer, the first view of the course - from the Club House steps - is perhaps not very striking. To an ardent Golfer, however, the appearance of the large, tempting-looking "Home green," which faces the Club House, is quite satisfactory; and when you get to the top of the hill, which is surmounted by the handsome flag staff, the view begins to unfold itself, and you really begin to see the charm of the situation of the Links.

Club House, Bangor Golf Club   photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

     The highest part of the course is the sixth green, locally known as "Spion Kop" - quite an apt name when you take into account the fact that it is an elevated green and difficult to stay on, at the first time of asking - and from this you have a perfect view of the town of Bangor and its surroundings. Looking straight ahead down to the seventh hole, you have an idea of the extent of Bangor: it is rather a back view, however, with the new Public Park in front of the rear (rather an Irishism I am afraid, but no matter); Bangor Castle, almost hidden in the trees, with the flag flying, denoting that the family are in residence. To the left is a fine stretch of country, beautifully wooded, and in the distance a good view of the famed Helen's Tower.
     To the north is a fine view of Belfast Lough and County Antrim coast, and a sharp turn to the right brings in an exceptionally pretty view, including the Old Windmill, Ballyholme Bay, Ballymacormick Point, and the little seaside village of Groomsport. Practically, the whole of the Bangor course is on view at this point, and on a bright sunny day, with a crisp nor'-easter blowing (but not too much of it), one feels that it is good to be alive - and a Golfer. Before closing, I should mention that the Club have for their professional James Edmundson, who has won the Irish Professional Championship several times, and has made a good show against the "big" men on the other side. He is a capable and painstaking coach, and his clubs, like his advice of the game, are reliable. Golfing requisites can be obtained, and repairs executed, promptly and efficiently, at moderate charges - but I must stop, as the Editor reminds me that this is not exactly the Advertising Section of the Guide.
     And now, until I meet you on the Green, I will say "Au-revoir."

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     By Act of Parliament the old Corporation of Bangor was dissolved in 1840, and the dissolution had a certain effect upon the Endowed School. As long ago as 1828, the Right Honourable Robert Ward directed by his will that a sum of £1,000 should be applied to the use of the Provost and Burgesses of the Corporation of Bangor for the endowment of a school-house, which he recommended should be built on Corporation lands. The dissolution of this governing body of the town upset the plan which had been contemplated, and in 1849 a petition was presented to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland praying for the settlement of a scheme by which the school could be established on another basis.
     The petitioners were Mr. Robert Edward Ward and Mr. George Dunbar, of Woburn. The Lord Chancellor approved of the scheme, and directed that a sum of £200 should be set aside out of the Trust Money (then in the hands of the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests for Ireland) in order to repair the old school-house in Bangor, and have it fitted in a manner suitable to the purposes of the new Endowed School. His Lordship further directed that a sum of £60 per annum should be set aside out of the Trust Funds exclusively for the payment of the master; and the general management of the School was vested in the Viscount Bangor and Mr. Robert Edward Ward, and their respective executors.
     Apparently the chief idea in the mind of the testator, the Right Honourable Robert Ward, was the establishment of a school wherein boys could be taught navigation and kindred sciences, fitting them for seafaring life. Bangor was at the time a small fishing and shipping village. This was the aspect which Bangor presented in those times; and as the port of Belfast was so near, though there was no railway then, boys naturally looked to the sea for a means of livelihood, and navigation was the most useful subject they could study.
     Mathematics, astronomy, and navigation were specified as subjects in which there was to be free tuition, while pupils desirous of taking other subjects, such as ancient and modern languages, were required to pay to the Trustees for the time being the sum of £10 per annum, one-half of this amount to be handed to the master. Time has changed such conceptions of Bangor's educational needs. In 1854 the school was established, and it has been carried on ever since under varying conditions.
     After the Educational Endowment (Ireland) Act came into force, the government of the school underwent a change. The Trustees had formerly been Mr. Robert Stewart Kennedy and Mr. William Crawford, who were appointed by the Viscount Bangor and Mr. Robert Edward Ward, but the Commissioners in charge of the administration of the Educational Endowments Act arranged a more representative management. A governing body was appointed, consisting of the person entitled to the dignity and title of Viscount Bangor for the time being and the proprietor of the Ward estates, each of these gentlemen having power to nominate a governor.     >>>

     Four ex-officio governors were also created; viz., the incumbent of Bangor Parish, the senior officiating curate of the Parish, the minister of the First Presbyterian Congregation of Bangor, and the minister of the Second Presbyterian Congregation of Bangor. The governors for the time being were constituted a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal and power to acquire and hold property, real and personal, for the purpose of this scheme.
     Qualified subscribers have also the power to attend the annual meetings and vote for elective governors. Such was the constitution of the governing body appointed to receive and apply all Trust money for the purpose of maintaining the school.
     The building which now does duty as Town Hall was formerly the old Endowed School. Its situation in the Main Street, under more modern hygienic ideas, was not considered desirable for the health of the scholars. It remained vacant for a considerable period, but in 1900 was purchased by the Urban District Council, and fitted up for their public offices.
     The school work was carried on for a number of years in private premises under considerable disadvantages, but in 1906 a splendid new building was erected capable of fulfilling all the requirements of a first-class school for secondary education. The amplitude of the new school and its elaborate fittings reflect unmistakably the growth of Bangor and the greatly-increased demand for secondary education.
     The new institution, with all its modern advantages and its improved equipment, fully sustains the fine traditions of the old Bangor Endowed School. Many men of note, some of whom have become famous, received at the Endowed School that training which moulds the mind at its most plastic and receptive stage. Can we doubt that, under the present able and accomplished headmaster, Mr. James McFeeters, B.A. (Dub.), and his efficient assistants, history will repeat itself in this respect.

     The Bangor Hospital is situated in Castle Street, over-looking the Park and Golf Links, and was completed in the year 1910 at a cost of about £4,000. The hospital is maintained by donations, voluntary contributions and subscriptions, and the payment of patients. No infectious, contagious, or incurable cases, nor cases of mental disorder or maternity cases, are admitted to the hospital.  The original institution, the Bangor Cottage Hospital, situated in Hamilton Road, was founded in 1869 by Mrs. R. E. Ward, mother to the present Baroness Clanmorris; but with the progress of Bangor the accommodation afforded by the building was found inadequate. The cost of the new building was borne chiefly by public subscription. Its management is in the hands of a President, Vice-Presidents, and Committee, the latter elected annually.

     This handsome building is situated on the Hamilton Road, and is enclosed in the Park Grounds. It thus has the advantage of the most pleasing surroundings that a building, devised to be central, could have in Bangor. The portion of it which will prove of the greatest interest to visitors is doubtless the Library. This comprises all the front portion of the ground floor, and includes, besides the Staff Room and the room in which the books are stocked, a general Reading Room, Ladies' Reading Room, and a Reference Room.
     In the General Reading Room, which is comfortably furnished, will be found a fair selection of newspapers, journals, and magazines. The Ladies' Room, in which perhaps more attention to comfort has been paid, contains some of the journals specially published for ladies. The Reference Room, adjoining the Book Stock Room, with which it communicates, is open for a limited number of hours per week.
     Arrangements are made for extending to visitors to the town the privilege of using the Lending and Reference Departments on their giving reasonable security. Admission is free to the General Reading Room. Catalogues, containing rules and regulations, can be purchased for two-pence at the Library.

General Reading Room Open daily (Sundays excepted) 10a.m. till 10p.m.
Reference Room and Lending Department - Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 3p.m. till 6p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday 7p.m. till 10p.m.

CONLIG

     The village of Conlig is situated about two and a half miles from Bangor on the main road to Newtownards. Helen's Tower, in the demesne of the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, is about one mile distant, and can be reached on foot by a pathway up the hill from the southern end of the village. Extensive lead mines were formerly worked in the locality, but of late years the mines have been shut down. The population of the village in 1901 was 229. Cars pass several times daily from Bangor. Fare, threepence.

Helen's Tower
Distance by road, 4½ miles.   Admission Free to Tower and Demesne, on application to the Steward at Clandeboye.
Tea can be supplied by Caretaker

     The Tower rises on the top of a wooded hill overlooking the Clandeboye Demesne, two miles beyond Clandeboye House, and forms a conspicuous landmark for many miles around. The view from the breezy summit of the Tower is extensive and beautiful, embracing the rich woods and lakes of Clandeboye, Belfast Lough, the Antrim Hills, the Irish Sea, the Islands of Arran and Ailsa Craig, the Coasts of Ayr, Wigton, and Isle of Man; the Peninsula of the Ards, Strangford Lough, and the Mourne Mountains. The Tower was erected about 1850, and enshrines some beautiful lines written by the grandmother of the present Marquess - Helen, Lady Dufferin, subsequently Lady Gifford, grand-daughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan - on the occasion of her son's coming of age, in 1847, and the building is named after the talented authoress.

Grave of the First Marquess of Dufferin and Ava         Clandeboye House                  Helen's Tower                                     
       Seat of the Dufferin Family
photos by G. Lowden, Bangor

To My Dear Son
On his 21st Birthday.  With a Silver Lamp, on which was engraved "Fiat Lux."

How shall I bless thee?  Human Love
Is all too poor in passionate words!
The heart aches with a sense above
All language that the lip affords!
Therefore, a symbol shall express
My love; - a thing nor rare nor strange,
But yet - eternal - measureless -
Knowing no shadow and no change!
Light! which of all the lovely shows
To our poor world of shadows given,
The fervent Prophet-voices chose
Alone - as attribute of Heaven!

At a most solemn pause we stand!
From this day forth, for ever more,
The weak - but loving human hand
Must cease to guide thee as of yore!
Then, as through life thy footsteps stray,
And earthly beacons dimly shine,
"Let there be Light" upon thy way,
And holier guidance far than mine.
"Let there be Light" in thy clear soul,
When Passion tempts, or Doubts assail;
When Grief's dark tempests o'er thee roll,
"Let there be Light" that shall not fail!

So - angel guarded - may'st thou tread
The narrow path, which few may find, -
And at the end look back - nor dread
To count the vanished years behind!
And pray - that she whose hand doth trace
This heart-warm prayer, - when life is past,
May see and know thy blessed face
In God's own glorious Light at last!

     In addition to the foregoing beautiful lines, verses by Robert Browning, Lord Houghton, Lord Tennyson, and Rudyard Kipling are associated with this favoured spot, and are copied on plates mounted in panels in the reception-room.

HELEN'S TOWER

Who hears of Helen's Tower, may dream perchance
How the Greek beauty from the Scæan Gate
Gazed on old friends unanimous in hate,
Death-doom'd because of her fair countenance.

Hearts would leap otherwise at thy advance,
Lady to whom this Tower is consecrate!
Like hers, thy face once made all eyes elate,
yet, unlike hers, was blessed by every glance.

A Tower of Hate is outworn, far and strange:
A transitory shame of long ago,
It dies into the sand from which it sprang;
But thine, Love's rock=built Tower, shall fear no change;
God's Self laid stable earth's foundations so,
When all the morning stars together sang.
ROBERT BROWNING                       April 26th 1870

Helen's Tower, here I stand,
Dominant over sea and land.
Son's love built me, and I hold
Mother's love engraved in gold.
Love is in and out of time;
I am mortal stone and lime.

Would my granite girth were strong
As either love, to last as long,
I should wear my crown entire
To and thro' the Doomsday fire,
And be found in angel eyes
In earth's recurring Paradise.
ALFRED TENNYSON

THE SONG OF THE WOMEN
(Lady Dufferin's Fund for Medical Aid to the Women of India).

How shall she know the worship we would do her?
The walls are high, and she is very far.
How shall the women's message reach unto her,
Above the tumult of the packed bazaar?
Free Wind of March, against the lattice blowing,
Bear thou our thanks, lest she depart unknowing.

Go forth across the fields we may not roam in -
Go forth beyond the trees that rim the city -
To whatsoe'er fair place she hath her home in,
Who dowered us with wealth of help and pity.
Out of our shadow pass and seek her singing :-
"I have no gifts but Love along for bringing."

Sir Walter Scott has sung the beauties of Clandeboye. In "Rokeby," canto v., he makes Redmond O'Neale lament :-

"Ah, Clandeboye! thy friendly floor
Slieve Donard's oak shall light no more;
Nor Owen's heart, beside the blaze,
Tell maiden's love, or hero's praise!
The mantling brambles hide thy hearth,
Centre of hospitable mirth.
All undistinguished in the glade
My sires' glad home is prostrate laid;
Their vassals wander wide and far -
Serve foreign lords in distant war -
And now the stranger's sons enjoy
The lovely woods of Clandeboye!"

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     Crawfordsburn is a charming situated village of 127 inhabitants, about two miles west of Bangor, on the road from Bangor to Belfast via Bryansburn Road and Carnalea. The picturesque Glen of Crawfordsburn, owned by Colonel R. G. Sharman-Crawford, D.L., adjoins the village, and was formerly open to the public. Admission is now restricted to those having written permission from Colonel Crawford.

Crawfordsburn       Dufferin Drive, at Helen's Bat        Helen's Bay   photos by G. Lowden, Bangor

HELEN'S BAY

     This is a beautiful spot, a mile west of Crawfordsburn, of many attractions, which centre in the pretty scenery. The railway station is a picturesque structure, built in the old baronial style. A flight of steps leads from the platform down to a large courtyard, where the three-mile avenue, constructed by the late Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, from Clandeboye House to the coast, passes under the railway. Turning to the right, the shore is about ten minutes walk from the railway station. Railway fare from Bangor, threepence.

NEWTOWNARDS
Distance by road, 5 miles.  Cars leave Bangor (from Esplanade) [times] Cars return to Bangor (times)  (from Town Hall) (times) Fare, 6d. each way.

     Newtownards is one of the most important towns in County Down. Its population in 1901 was 9,110. It lies in the hollow at the head of Strangford Lough, with Scrabo rising boldly over its south-western end, and pleasing hills ascending gently on the north and east. Much of the earlier history of Newtownards is associated with religious establishments. It was anciently called the New Town of Blathmac, the name having been derived from the sept occupying the district. A monastery for Dominican friars was founded here in 1244 by Walter de Burgho, Earl of Ulster. After the dissolution, it was granted, with its possessions, to Lord Clandeboye. Some time subsequent to Con O'Neill's rebellion, Newtownards was transferred to Sir Hugh Montgomery by James I. He built a church on the site of the monastery, and it was used until 1817. When the church in Regent Street was finished, the old building served the purpose of a courthouse, and was occupied in this way for many years.
     In 1860 it was "consecrated and set apart as a place of burial" by the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. It is sacred to the Londonderry family. In a part of the church, said to have been built by Sir Robert Colvil, are the tombs of Alexander Stewart, father of the first Marquess of Londonderry, 1767, and of Lady Ross Colvil, 1623; Robert Colvil, 1697; and Hugh Colvil, 1901. In the nave is the tomb of the fourth Marquess of Londonderry, 1872, and of his widow, Elizabeth, 1885. Numerous inscriptions on the three large sandstone pillars, dividing the nave from the aisle, commemorate natives of the town. The church ruin stands in Court Square, and is well worth a visit. A high tower in the centre is completely covered with ivy, as are also the walls, interior and exterior. The bailiff of the Londonderry Estate, who lives in the adjoining cottage, has charge of the ruins.
     At the back of the old church, in Court Square, a castle was erected by the O'Neills in the 14th century; but when Sir Hugh Montgomery took possession very little remained. He had a new castle built on the old foundations, and made it his residence. His descendants continued in occupation until it was destroyed by fire. At a distance of about a mile from Newtownards are the ruins of the Abbey of Movilla, founded in the 6th century by St. Finian, whose death occurred in 572. It flourished until the dissolution. The site is one of the finest in the county. Two gables, about 150 feet apart, constitute the chief features of the remains. In the side wall, running parallel with the road, there are seven sepulchral slabs, which rank among the best examples of the kind in Ireland. Three of them on the ground near the larger gable are considered the most interesting.
     At the junction of High Street, Castle Street, and Movilla Street stands the Cross of Newtownards, or, to be more correct, the pedestal of the cross. It is hexagonal in form, with deeply recessed panels. The Montgomery arms are visible, also the date, 1636, but the inscriptions have almost disappeared. In 1666 it was erected by the loyal residents upon the site of the original cross, which is said to have been destroyed by the rebels in 1653. A pleasant excursion, and one that is of special interest to the geologist, may be taken from Newtownards to Scrabo Hill It is reached by the old road to Belfast, past the Model School. Going under the railway, the road turns to the left and skirts the eastern base of the hill. A short ascent to the right leads to the extensive quarries on this slope. On the summit (540 feet) stands the lofty tower which was erected in 1858 to the memory of General Charles William Stewart-Vane, third Marquess of Londonderry. Admission free. Tea will be supplied by the caretaker on request.

The Old Cross, Newtownards  Scrabo Tower, Newtownards   The Old Church, Newtownards   photo by G. Lowden, Bangor

MOUNTSTEWART HOUSE
Distance by road, through Newtownards, 9 miles. Cars passing Mountstewart leave Newtownards (times) Return Cars pass Mountstewart about (times) Fare each way, 8d.

     The seat of the Marquess of Londonderry is situated on the shores of Strangford Lough, on the road from Newtownards to Greyabbey, about four miles from the former. He was born, in 1769, the great Lord Castlereagh, one of the most abused of British statesmen, on account of the prominent part which he took in the political events of the 18th and early part of the 19th centuries. The grounds are open to the public on Saturdays, and on any other day on obtaining permission from the Londonderry Estate Agent, High Street, Newtownards, and they contain several objects of interest. A Greek temple, copied from the "Temple of the Winds" at Athens, stands near the road, and three raths - of their remains - are situated among the plantations; a ruined chapel lies near the eastern edge of the demesne; and half a mile south-east of the house is a small but perfect cromleac, the only portion now remaining of a very remarkable prehistoric cemetery, discovered in 1786.

GREYABBEY
Distance through Newtownards by road, 12 miles. Cars leave Newtownards (times) Cars return to Newtownards (times) Fare 1/- each way.

     Greyabbey consist of one long street running inland from the shores of Strangford Lough, and has a population of 563. The beautiful ruins of the abbey which gives its name to the place stand on the right hand, or south side, at the head of the street, and admission may be obtained to them at all times.

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Greyabbey    Mountstewart House, Irish Residence of Marquess of Londonderry     Greyabbey
photos by G. Lowden, Bangor

Of the abbey ruins as they exist at present, rising among aged trees on a beautiful green sward, the most perfect portions are the church and the refectory. The church is in the form of a Latin cross, measuring inside 122 feet by 84 feet. Four small chapels opened off the transept. The nave is peculiar in being devoid of aisles. The west doorway is a good example of early English work. The east end of the church is square, and has a double tier of triplet windows of "early pointed" shape, with a small similar window above. The western end contains the fine doorway already alluded to, with a small window over it of much later date, and is crowned with the bell-cote which Sir Hugh Montgomery erected about 1626. The chancel arch and south transept arch are gone, but the north transept arch and choir arch remain, the mouldings of the latter being quite perfect. The sacristy, chapter-house (originally the most handsomely decorated portion of the abbey), calefactory, and kitchen are in a much ruined condition, the walls rising only a few feet above the ground. The refectory, must have been a magnificent hall, stately in its proportions, and with a fair share of architectural display. It measures 71½ feet by 28 feet, and the southern wall contains a fine window of three lights. The ancient well which supplied the abbey is still to be seen at the south side of the buildings, covered by a vault. Several ancient grave slabs lie near the abbey. A number of monumental tablets and the Montgomery vault occupy the nave, and adjoining it, on the north-east, is a cemetery which is still used. It contains a number of interesting old grave stones, such as that of John McDowell, whose age is recorded as 117 years, and that of Rev. James Porter, of Greyabbey, who was hanged, in view of his own manse, for participation in the agitation of 1797. One of the quaintest inscriptions is in rhyme:-

"Here lyes Jean Hay
who night and day
was honest good and
just  her  hope  and
love was from above
in which place was
her trust her spirit
left  her  terrane
part with joy to
God where was her
hart on the 4 day
of Jany 1767."

     Perhaps the handsomest monument is a grand Anglo-Norman grave slab, seven feet in length, which was brought from the site of Black Abbey, two miles to the eastward. Major General Montgomery, D.L., is the present owner of Greyabbey and district.

BALLYWALTER
Distance by road, 13 miles. No direct Car service.

     Ballywalter is a seaside village of 604 inhabitants. Adjoning the town on the south is Ballywalter Park, the seat of Lord Dunleath. Half a mile north-west stand the ruins of Templefinn, the White Church. Of Black Abbey, "the Priory of St. Andrew of the Ardes," which was founded by De Courcy about 1180 A.D., and stood a mile and a half south-west of Ballywalter, no trace now remains.

     The village of Groomsport consists of one street, occupied principally by whitewashed cottages. Close by is the picturesque small harbour, filled with brown sailed trawlers and fishing boats. Groomsport is celebrated in local history as the point at which, on the 13th August, 1689, the advance army of King William landed from seventy transports. It consisted of 10,000 men, under the command of Duke Schomberg. The population in 1901 was 264.

     The Copeland Islands offer a pleasant and interesting day's boating and fishing excursion from Bangor. The large island, or Copeland Island proper, is about a mile in length by half a mile in breadth, and is separated from the mainland by a 4-fathom channel, a mile wide at its narrowest point. The surface of the island is low and fertile, and the whitewashed walls of several farmsteads, which shelter a population of about 30 persons, shine among the green and yellow fields. The Lighthouse Island lies a mile further out to sea. It consists of 40 acres of grazing land, and crowning its summit are the lighthouse buildings, in use until a few years ago. Mew Island is a low rock of 26 acres, intersected by gullies, lying close on the eastern side of Lighthouse Island. At its eastern end towers the splendid lighthouse - completed in 1884 - which guards the entrance of Belfast Lough. The light stands 121 feet above high water, and is one of the most powerful in the world, its full strength being 177,000 candle power. It shows four short white flashes, followed by 38 seconds of darkness, the whole cycle occupying one minute. In thick weather a fog siren gives each two minutes a four-second blast, followed after twelve seconds by another four-second blast on a higher note. Mew Island is a well-known haunt of the Terns, or Sea-swallows, and during the breeding season these pretty birds lay their eggs and bring out their young among the rocks and grass of the islet. The only relic of antiquity on the island is a little cemetery, containing traces of a chapel, on the southern side of the Big Island, from which Chapel Bay, adjoining takes its name. The Island are called after the English family of Copeland, who settled in the Ards during the early invasions. The ancient name of the islands is not known. The Copeland Islands were formerly one of the possessions of the great Abbey of Bangor.

     Few watering-places possess so many and such picturesque walks as Bangor; yet visitors, as a rule, are unaware of the beauty and diversity of the scenery which is within the reach of the pedestrian staying here for health or recreation. To supply information, which most of our visitors will receive with pleasure, and furnish many a pleasant hour's ramble, we give a description and sketch plan, on the following pages (Below) of a number of walks in the vicinity. These are not to be taken as the only ones around Bangor worth travelling, but are simply pointed out as among many others - some even better - that will amply repay anyone strolling along the lines delineated.