A story from Warrenpoint

The family who built the town

In short: Warrenpoint was largely shaped by the Hall family of Narrow Water, who developed the estate and the town and are credited with developing the docks in the early 1800s.

Warrenpoint's story is bound up with the Hall family, who bought Narrow Water and went on to develop the estate and the town. The council's visitor map also credits them with developing the docks in the early 1800s, so the streets, the land and the waterfront all lead back to them.

Go and see it

Walk from the square down to the docks and follow the town they laid out.

Make a day of it: Free entry Locals love

Questions people ask

Who developed Warrenpoint?

The Hall family, who bought Narrow Water and went on to develop the estate and the town.

Did the Hall family build Warrenpoint docks?

The council's visitor map credits them with developing the docks in the early 1800s.

When: early 1800s. Sources: Council visitor map (docks). Spotted something we should correct? Let us know.

Then, nearby

Somewhere to eat or drink afterwards, closest first.

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Leafy Greens & Co.

Vegetarian café and deli on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Cafés · Warrenpoint

Church Lane Coffee

Coffee shop on Church St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint30–60 min

Restaurants · Warrenpoint

The Wheelbarrow

Restaurant on Mary St, Warrenpoint.

In Warrenpoint1–2 hours

More stories from Warrenpoint

Story · Warrenpoint

How the train made Warrenpoint a holiday town

From 1849 until 1965 the railway ran right into Warrenpoint, and it changed the place. The railway company didn't just bring people here: it put money into hotels and entertainment so they'd stay. That's a big part of why Warrenpoint became somewhere you came for your holidays, not somewhere you passed through.

Stroll the seafront and picture the trains unloading holidaymakers a few streets away.

Story · Warrenpoint

The grand hotel that went bust in a year

The Beach Hotel opened in March 1885 with fifty rooms, a billiard room, a smoking room, and baths with hot, cold, fresh and salt water. It was a big bet, and it didn't pay off for its owner, Henry Stanley, who went bankrupt the following year. The Great Northern Railway Company bought it, made it bigger and folded it into their seaside holiday business.

Walk the front and look up at the old hotel buildings that line it.

Story · Warrenpoint

From grand hotel to school

The Great Northern Hotel stopped being a hotel in 1923, but the building carried on. Over the years it was a boarding school, a day school and a home for elderly men. One building, and you can follow the whole story of the town in it: from Victorian holidays to classrooms and care.

Look out for the old Great Northern building on your walk through town.