Hillsborough is a village historically in County Down in Northern Ireland, nowadays governed as part of Lisburn and Castlereagh District. It's an attractive Georgian village dominated by Hillsborough Castle, the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and of the King whenever he's in the province. Since 2021 it's been officially dubbed "Royal Hillsborough". It's a commuter town for Belfast, with a population in 2021 of 4200.
Get in
[edit]
Hillsborough is 12 miles southwest of Belfast, follow M1 / A1.
Goldliner Bus 238 runs from Belfast Grand Central via Sprucefield retail park (south edge of Lisburn) to Hillsborough (25 min), Dromore, Banbridge and Newry. It's every 30 min M-Sa and hourly on Sunday.
Ulsterbus 538 runs hourly from Belfast via Dunmurry, Lisburn and Sprucefield, taking an hour to Hillsborough, and continuing to Dromore and Banbridge; a few carry on to Newry.
Bus 26B trundles cross-country three times M-F from Newcastle via Dundrum and Ballynahinch to Hillsborough, continuing to Lisburn.
Lisburn 4 miles north is the closest railway station, with frequent trains on the Bangor-Belfast-Lisburn-Portadown line.
Get around
[edit]The village sights are easily reached on foot. Take the Newry bus for Dromore.
Taxis from Lisburn serve this area.
See
[edit]
- 1 Hillsborough Castle, 301 Hillsborough Rd BT26 6TH (cars enter off A1), ☏ +44 333 320 6000. Apr-Nov W-Su 10AM-5PM. Grand Georgian mansion, the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and of royalty and VIP visitors. The Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 was signed here, and it was the setting for talks leading to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The guided tour of the house takes in some of the state rooms and the art collection. There are extensive gardens and parkland. Adult £20.80, conc £16.60, child £10.40.
- Hillsborough Courthouse on The Square is a stout Georgian building. The interior is closed.
- St Malachy's Parish Church, Main St BT26 6SD (next to fort and courthouse). Attractive 18th-century Anglican church. Free.
- 2 Hillsborough Fort, 32 Main St BT26 6AE. Grounds daily 10AM-4PM. Artillery fort built in 1650 but prettified in 1758. The interior is closed. Free.
- The monument south edge of the village (resembling Nelson's Column in London) is to the 3rd Marquess of Downshire (1788-1855), a strong supporter of Irish language and culture.
- 3 Hillsborough Forest Park, ☏ +44 28 9064 7256. This is the park surrounding the ornamental lake just east of the fort. Multiple access points, generally always accessible but the car parks may be locked at dusk. Free.
- 4 Dromore is a village 5 miles southwest of Hillsborough. The Cathedral (Church of Ireland) was built in 1660 and extended in the 19th century. The River Lagan flows beneath an impressive viaduct and through the bosky town park; east downstream it's overlooked by a Norman motte and bailey.
Do
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- Golf: see Lisburn#Do for Lisburn GC and Down Royal Park GC.
- Temple GC is east towards Saintfield.
- Lagan Valley LeisurePlex is in Lisburn.
Buy
[edit]- Co-op Food in village centre is open daily 7AM-10PM.
- Ernest Wilson next door is a greengrocer open M-Sa 8AM-6PM.
- For a big shop head to Sprucefield retail park, 3 miles northeast on the edge of Lisburn.
Eat
[edit]- Karibu Coffee at 5 The Square is open W-M 8AM-5PM.
- The Plough at 3 The Square is open daily 9AM-11PM.
- Little Del Toro at 20 Main St is open M-F 9AM-3PM, Sa Su 9AM-4PM.
- The Hillside, 21 Main St BT26 6AE, ☏ +44 28 9268 9233. Daily noon-9PM. Pub since 1752 does good food. Dogs permitted in the front bar.
- Keane's Deli at 21 Ballynahinch Rd is open M-Sa 7:30AM-2:30PM.
- Joxer at 16 Lisburn St is open Su-W 8AM-4PM, Th-Sa 8AM-9PM.
- Chip Hawker is a takeaway at 20 Lisburn St open W Th Sa Su 4:30-9PM, F noon-9PM.
- Parson's Nose at 48 Lisburn St is open daily noon-9PM.
Drink
[edit]Pubs as above.
Hinch Distillery east towards Ballynahinch makes gin.
Sleep
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- 1 Arthur's, 4 Main St BT26 6AE, ☏ +44 28 9244 0751. Pleasant friendly hotel in village centre. B&B double £170.
- Premier Inn is at M1 Sprucefield junction, 3 miles northeast of the village, see Lisburn#Sleep.
- 2 Lisnacurran Country House, 6 Listytullycurran Rd, Dromore BT25 1RB, ☏ +44 28 9269 8710. Charming B&B in 1928 farmstead three miles southwest of village, gets rave reviews for comfort and welcome. B&B double £120.
- 3 Drum Manor, 61 Drumlough Rd BT26 6PU, ☏ +44 7767 271138. Welcoming B&B in the country four miles south of village. B&B double £120.
Connect
[edit]As of Oct 2025, Hillsborough and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.
Go next
[edit]- Lisburn was where Ireland's modern linen trade was founded, as depicted in its museum.
- Lurgan and Portadown are industrial commuter towns but have access to Lough Neagh.
| Routes through Hillsborough |
| Belfast ← Lisburn ← | N  S
|
→ Banbridge → Dublin |