... is a Georgian country house in the village of Hillsborough, in County Down. It was built in the 18th century for the Hill family, Marquesses of Downshire. They owned it until 1922, when the 6th Marquess sold the mansion and its grounds to the British government. It became the official residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland, and in 1973, when the UK Government abolished Northern Ireland's devolved system of government and instituted direct rule from London, that post was effectively combined with that of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, to create the post of Secretary of State.
Hillsborough is also the official residence in Northern Ireland of the British royal family, including the Queen. It's probably best known today, however, as the location of the signing in 1985 of the Anglo–Irish Agreement, which helped to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
© Haydn Thompson 2021