HILLSBOROUGH, NIR - Postcode - BT26 6SH

Description of Hillsborough

Located in County Down, Northern Ireland, Hillsborough is a village and civil parish 19 kilometers (12 miles) from Belfast with the official name of Royal Hillsborough (Irish: Cromghlinn, meaning "Crooked Glen". As such, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Lisburn and Castlereagh District Council. The village's Georgian buildings have become famous. Hillsborough Castle, the official residence of the British royal family in Northern Ireland and the home of the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, is located there.

History of Hillsborough

Crumlin or Cromlin (from Irish Cromghlinn, "crooked glen") was the name of the townland before to 1661. Both the townland and the village within it were renamed Hillsborough in 1661, during the Plantation of Ulster. Fort Hillsborough was constructed in 1650 to guard the route between Dublin and Carrickfergus; it was named for English army officers Sir Moses Hill and his son, Sir Arthur Hill. The family Hill rose through the ranks to become Earls of Hillsborough and afterwards Marquesses of Downshire.

Hillsborough Castle is a residence that was constructed in 1770 for the first Earl of Hillsborough (he was later created The 1st Marquess of Downshire, in 1789). To the south of the village, and hence visible from most of the surrounding area, sits a memorial to The 3rd Marquess of Downshire (1788-1845) that closely resembles Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London. As a major village, Hillsborough, Ulster, placed third in the 2007 Ulster in Bloom competition.

Royal Hillsborough will formally change its name in 2021 when it was reported that letters patent would be issued making the village "Royal Hillsborough" in honor of Hillsborough Castle, the official royal house in Northern Ireland. On October 20 of that year, the patent letters were officially implemented.