Holywood is a town in the city of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a civil parish and townland encompassing 755 acres lying on the coast of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Urban Area is labelled as a medium town within the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area (BMUA) by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, with the 2001 Census documenting a permanent population of 12037. Within this population, around 20 percent are aged under 16 years of age and 21 per cent were aged 60 and over. 50.6 per cent of the population is male and 49.4 percent is female. The railway line from Belfast to Holywood arrived in 1848, and this resulted in quick development. This expansion, in conjunction with that of surrounding towns and villages along the seaside strip to Bangor, necessitated the construction of the Holywood Bypass in the early 1970s. The town is a popular house and is noted for its fashionable shops, boutiques, arts and crafts. Holywood is most widely known for its maypole at the crossroads in the centre of town. Its origin continues to be rather uncertain, however, in accordance with regional folklore, it originates from 1700, when a Dutch ship is alleged to have actually run aground on the coast close by, and the crew put up the broken mast to display their appreciation of the assistance offered to them by the townsfolk. The maypole continues to be in regular use for dancing at the annual May Day fair. The town also holds an annual jazz and blues celebration. There are a number of sporting opportunities in Holywood, being the home of football clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs and a sports association. For all of your house upgrades, make certain to make use of respected professionals in Holywood to make certain of quality.