The most visibly striking historic feature of the city is the historic walls. It is the only remaining completely walled City in Ireland and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe and they have been kept in a splendid state of preservation.
The Walls were built by The Honourable The Irish Society as defences for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland – the settlement was a plan of Plantation by James I. The building of the city was financed by the trade Guilds of the City of London and work began in 1613 and finished in 1618 under the supervision of Sir Edward Doddington of Dungiven.
The prefix London was thus added to the name of the city and the city of Londonderry(since renamed Derry) became the jewel in the crown of the Ulster Plantations. The Walls which are approximately 1.5km in circumference form a walkway around the inner city and provide a unique promenade to view the layout of the original town which still preserves its Rennaissance style street plan to this day.
The four original gates Shipquay, Ferryquay, Bishop and Butcher gates have all been rebuilt and three new gates added Magazine, Castle and New Gate. There are canon mounted throughout the Walls most notably above Shipquay Gate. These were donated by the Guilds of London in 1649.Guided tours available all year round.
