A story from Warrenpoint

When Warrenpoint had seven hotels

In short: By the late 1800s Warrenpoint had seven hotels and Rostrevor had three, making them busy Victorian holiday towns built around visitors.

By the late 1800s Warrenpoint had seven hotels, and Rostrevor had three more. These weren't sleepy villages that happened to be pretty. They were busy holiday towns, with real businesses built around looking after visitors.

Go and see it

Count the grand old frontages along the seafront as you walk.

Make a day of it: Short on time Free entry

Questions people ask

How many hotels did Warrenpoint have in Victorian times?

Seven by the late 1800s, with three more in Rostrevor.

Where can you see Warrenpoint's old hotel buildings?

Along the seafront, where many of the grand Victorian frontages still line the promenade.

When: late 1800s. Sources: Architectural history published by Archiseek. 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.