Portadown, Craigavon, BT62 1DG

Craigavon is a town in north County Armagh, Northern Ireland, founded in 1965 as part of a planned settlement. It was named after the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon. The town was intended to be the heart of a new linear city incorporating Lurgan and Portadown, but this plan was largely abandoned and later described as flawed. Locally, “Craigavon” refers to the urban area between the two towns. The town is built beside a pair of artificial lakes and consists of a large residential area (Brownlow), a smaller one (Mandeville), and a central area (Highfield) that includes a substantial shopping centre, a courthouse and the district council headquarters. The area around the lakes is a public park and wildlife haven made up of woodland with walking trails. There is also a watersports centre, golf course and ski slope in the area. In most of Craigavon, motor vehicles are completely separated from pedestrians, and roundabouts are used extensively. It hosted the headquarters of the former Craigavon Borough Council.