Guildhall, Londonderry, United Kingdom

The Guildhall is the house where the elected members of Derry City and Strabane District Council meet. It is a Grade A listed building.

The current building was preceded by an earlier town hall called the Market House which was built in the 17th century and destroyed in the Siege of Derry in 1689. The current building, which was designed by John Guy Ferguson and financed by The Honourable The Irish Society, was completed in 1890. The design for the clock tower was modelled on the Elizabeth Tower in London.

After a disastrous fire in 1908, in which only the tower and rear block survived, and more funding from The Honourable The Irish Society, the Guildhall was rebuilt to the design of Mathew Alexander Robinson in 1912. The current organ, which was designed by Sir Walter Parratt and has 3,132 pipes, was installed in 1914.

During The Troubles, the Guildhall was the focus of multiple terror attacks. The building was badly damaged by two bombs in 1972, but was restored at a cost of £1.7 million and reopened in 1977. On 23 September 1980 the Field Day Theatre Company presented its first production, the premiere of Brian Friel's Translations, in the Guildhall.

The guildhall, which had been the meeting place of the county borough of Londonderry for much of the 20th century, continued to be the local seat of government after the formation of Londonderry City Council in 1972; the council was renamed Derry City Council in 1984.

References:

Wikipedia

Palaces, manors and town halls in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Liam Starrs (10 months ago)
In the heart of a great city and not always for great reasons. It was bombed, burned and built back to be the building you see today. An historic land mark filled with records from years gone, but not forgotten. Derrys Guildhall

Joe Duggan (10 months ago)
We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the beautiful Guildhall and the brilliant team there were amazing from start to finish, creating a very special day with us in a iconic beautiful venue.

David Browne (12 months ago)
Beautiful building depicting the history of the City and our guide was very informative and friendly. Why on earth did a cowboy want to destroy it during 'the troubles' and why did this same person get elected as a public representative? Proves the mentality of those who both convince and who are convinced by absolute 'headers'.

Mary Bennett (14 months ago)
Beautiful building and exceptional and helpful customer service from Carmel. Well done - you are a credit to Derry and your employers!

barbara duffy (14 months ago)
Was in this beautiful building to see the performance of "The White "Handkerchief" Amazing talent and true factual, outstanding performance by all the cast. Highly recommended to see both.

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The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

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Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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