Butcher Gate, Derry 2004-04-25
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This was taken on the corner of Butcher Street and Magazine Street, on a Sunday afternoon in late April 2004. (Hence the shuttered shops along Butcher St.)
The panorama opens with the gate itself. Rotating clockwise you look down Magazine Street towards
.
Passing the wall of the Tower Hotel our view switches down Butcher Street. Most of the right hand side is taken up by the Calgagh Centre (with its shutters closed).
At the far end of Butcher Street we can see the central square of the walled city known as
. Behind the war memorial we can see
Austin's who lay claim to the title "Ireland's Oldest
Department Store"
Continuing our clockwise rotation we return to Butcher gate with the view through to Fahan Street. The text of the plaque to the right of the gate is transcribed below.
Construction of city began in 1610, ... It is of a typical planned town design comprising a market square and four main roads in a cross formation leading to the four original gates into the city, of which Butcher Gate built in 1617 was one.
These four gates, ... were smaller than the gates you can see today. Butcher gate and the walls themselves were almost doubled in height when rebuilt in 1805-8, allowing better access to the city.
If you look closely at the stonework above this panel you can see the height of the original walls marked by a horizontal layer of stone continuing into the curve of the arch.
