The first of three adjacent historical galleries, this room is designed to have an Early Christian atmosphere. it highlights the period 550 - 950 A.D. when Bangor Abbey flourished and missionaries ventured to the continent spreading Christianity and civilization. The centrepiece is a huge model of the abbey as it would have appeared in its heyday.
The Bangor Bell The Bangor Hand Bell, which is dated to the period of the Viking invasions of Ireland in the 9th century, is a one piece casting in bronze. It is one of only three existing handbells that have engravings of crosses and key patterns around the base. The bell was found in the Abbey graveyard about 1780 and obtained by Rev. S.M. Stephenson of Greyabbey. Purchased by Bangor Borough Council in 1956 from the estate of Colonel John McCance, a descendant of Stephenson.