Fodor's Expert Review The Siege Museum and Apprentice Boys Hall
Imposing in its Scottish Baronial fortified grandeur, this is a meeting place for the exclusively Protestant organization set up in 1714 to honor 13 Apprentice Boys who slammed the city gate in the face of the Catholic King James in 1688, sparking the Siege of Derry. The Memorial Hall has been renovated, and next door to it stands a £2 million center that tells the fascinating story of the 105-day siege and chronicles the history of the Apprentice Boys. A look-alike sandstone scale model of Walker's Pillar—blown up by the IRA in 1973—has been re-created. During excavation work in 2014, before the new museum was built, archaeologists unearthed Derry's oldest building, believed to date to at least 1602. The brick-and-wood structure perished during the O'Doherty Rebellion of 1608—predating the historic city walls by several years. Excited archaeologists also uncovered musket balls, a cannonball, pottery shards, clay pipes, and even some intact centuries-old wine bottles—although... READ MORE
Imposing in its Scottish Baronial fortified grandeur, this is a meeting place for the exclusively Protestant organization set up in 1714 to honor 13 Apprentice Boys who slammed the city gate in the face of the Catholic King James in 1688, sparking the Siege of Derry. The Memorial Hall has been renovated, and next door to it stands a £2 million center that tells the fascinating story of the 105-day siege and chronicles the history of the Apprentice Boys. A look-alike sandstone scale model of Walker's Pillar—blown up by the IRA in 1973—has been re-created. During excavation work in 2014, before the new museum was built, archaeologists unearthed Derry's oldest building, believed to date to at least 1602. The brick-and-wood structure perished during the O'Doherty Rebellion of 1608—predating the historic city walls by several years. Excited archaeologists also uncovered musket balls, a cannonball, pottery shards, clay pipes, and even some intact centuries-old wine bottles—although their drinking maturity has yet to be established. Combined guided tours of the museum, Memorial Hall, and city walls with access to the Royal Bastion and Plinth of Walker's Pillar cost £7 and last two hours.
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