Council wantstourists in thecemetery

LONDONDERRY’S civic leaders want to lure tourists to the 160-year-old City Cemetery.

Mayor of Londonderry Kevin Campbell has launched two new guides for potential visitors to the historic graveyard, which is the resting place of such notables as Cecil Francis Alexander and William Tillie.

It may not seem like an obvious place to choose to visit, but the new initiative from Derry City Councils’ Heritage and Museum Service is designed to promote the City Cemetery as the newest tourist attraction.

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Mayor Campbell said: “The two new publications designed by the Heritage and Museum Service will enable locals and visitors to take a self guided tour of our City Cemetery and examine our rich cultural diversity.

“It gives another opportunity to promote the shared future that we are now experiencing as we embark onto our City of Culture 2013 status.

“Once downloaded the publications will offer a road map which outlines the locations of different graves of prominent figures such as political activists, heads of trade and industry, veterans of war and those on both sides of the troubles, as it follows the lives of named figures such as Cecil Francis Alexander, Basil McCrea, William Tillie, members of Fosters family of Ballinacross, all of which have shaped our City of today.”

Margaret Edwards, Heritage and Museums Service, Derry City Council said: “It is the rich diversity of the City Cemetery over the last 160 years from Victorian and Edwardian times through to the 21st Century that makes the cemetery such an interesting place to visit.

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“You only have to examine the layout of the Cemetery to gather a deep understanding of the past and the costs of our conflicts. It is a location which will prove an excellent example of how we have embraced our shared future here in Derry-Londonderry.”

“Along with the changes that are obvious in the styles of memorial architecture, the guide also the delves into the range of biodiversity offered by the grassland, trees, hedgerows, walls and graves in Cemetery which provide a habitat for a range of species including bats, peregrine falcons and Irish hares.”

The City Cemetery publications will be available to the public from next week at various public and tourist locations throughout the City.

For information on accessing the publications contact the City Cemetery directly on 028 7136 2615 http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/Cemeteries/City-Cemetery-Guide

For more information contact Heritage and Museum Service on 028 7136 5151 ext 8250 or email [email protected].

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