Derry archivists to digitise City's historic building plans

Derry's London Street and Artillery Street
have a curious mix of architecture

Derry City Council’s Archive & Genealogy Service are working with Guildhall Press on an innovative pilot digitisation and cataloguing project which will see hundreds of Derry’s historic building plans become available to the public for the first time.

The collection is a unique resource that contains plans, elevations and design details for a range of significant buildings and architecture across the city including the Guildhall, the War Memorial, Carlisle Bridge and local schools, churches and residences.

All the documents were submitted for bye-law approval to the old Londonderry Corporation and to the Londonderry Development Commission.

A core team of volunteers will be trained in a number of archival and digital skills including conservation, cataloguing and digitisation.

Funded by the NIE’s NGO Challenge Fund, the project will digitise around 500 plans and make them available to view online on a purpose-built freely accessible website. In addition, a printed catalogue of the collection will be produced and disseminated across the NorthWest to libraries, schools, universities and local interest groups. It's also intended that a portable exhibition will be created for display at community venues and events.