Guildhall

Top choice in Derry (Londonderry)


Standing just outside the city walls, the neo-Gothic Guildhall was originally built in 1890, then rebuilt after a fire in 1908. Its fine stained-glass windows were presented by the London livery companies, and its clock tower was modelled on London's Big Ben. Inside, there's a historical exhibition on the Plantation of Ulster, and a tourist information point.

As the seat of the old Londonderry Corporation, which institutionalised the policy of discriminating against Catholics for housing and jobs, the Guildhall incurred the wrath of nationalists and was bombed twice by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1972. From 2000 to 2005 it was the seat of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Derry (Londonderry) attractions

1. Derry's City Walls

0.03 MILES

The best way to get a feel for Derry's layout and history is to walk the 1.5km circumference of the city's walls. Completed in 1619, Derry's city walls…

2. Tower Museum

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Head straight to the 5th floor of this award-winning museum inside a replica 16th-century tower house for a view from the top. Then work your way down…

3. Peace Bridge

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Sinuous and elegant, this 2011-completed, S-shaped pedestrian and cyclist bridge spans the River Foyle, linking the walled city on the west bank to…

4. People's Gallery Murals

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The 12 murals that decorate the gable ends of houses along Rossville St, near Free Derry Corner, are popularly referred to as the People's Gallery. They…

5. Siege Museum

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In a building adjoining the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, this museum celebrates the role of the 13 apprentice boys who in December 1688 locked the city…

6. Museum of Free Derry

0.24 MILES

Just off Rossville St, this excellent museum chronicles the history of the Bogside, the Civil Rights Movement and the events of Bloody Sunday through…

7. Bloody Sunday Memorial

0.24 MILES

A simple granite obelisk that commemorates the 14 civilians who were shot dead by the British Army on Bloody Sunday, 30 January 1972.

8. Centre for Contemporary Art

0.25 MILES

Derry's contemporary art gallery provides a showcase for emerging artists in Northern Ireland and stages changing exhibitions of contemporary art from…