Ireland Guide
Antrim and Derry
St Columb's Cathedral
Address: Occupying the southwestern corner of the walled city
Website: www.stcolumbscathedral.org
Opening time: Mon– Sat: April– Sept 9am–5pm; Oct– March 9am–1pm & 2–4pm
Price: £2
St Columb's Cathedral was built in 1633 in a style later called Planters' Gothic and was the first post-Reformation cathedral in the British Isles. Displayed in the entrance porch is a cannon shell catapulted into the church during the 1688–89 blockade by the besieging army – their terms of surrender were attached. The cathedral was used as a battery during the siege, its tower serving as a lookout post; today it provides the best view of the old city. The present spire dates from the late Georgian period, its lead-covered wooden predecessor having been stripped to fashion bullets and cannon shot during the siege. Inside, an open-timbered roof rests on sixteen stone corbels carved with figures of past bishops. Hanging above the nave, French flags captured in the siege, and others brought back from various military expeditions, serve to make the interior a forceful reminder of British imperialism. Other things to look out for are the finely sculpted reredos behind the altar, the eighteenth-century bishop's throne and the window panels showing scenes as diverse as the relief of the city on August 12, 1689, and St Columba's mission to Britain. In the chapterhousemuseum are more relics of the siege, including the padlocks and keys used to lock the city gates, plus the grand kidney-shaped desk of the eighteenth-century philosopher George Berkeley, erstwhile dean of the cathedral (who only visited Derry once), and mementos of Cecil Frances (1818–95), wife of Bishop Alexander and composer of the famous hymns Once in Royal David's City and There is a Green Hill Far Away.