Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall

The Apprentice Boys of Derry Memorial Hall and Siege Museum, also known as the Apprentice Boys' Memorial Hall, or simply the Memorial Hall, is a historic Grade B1 listed building located within the city walls of Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Built originally in 1877, it is located on Society Street.

The Memorial Hall serves as the headquarters of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a Protestant fraternal organisation established to commemorate the Siege of Derry of 1688–1689.

In 2016, the Memorial Hall opened the Siege Museum, which covers the history of the 1689 siege. Artefacts on display date back to the 17th century at the time of the siege. The remains of the ancient gates of the city are stored in the cellars of the hall.

Uses All members joining one of the eight parent clubs of the Apprentice Boys must undergo an initiation in the Memorial Hall. This often occurs during commemoration parades, including the Relief of Derry, also known as "Derry Day" during the Maiden City Festival in August, as well as the Shutting of the Gates, also known as "Lundy's Day" in December. During the Maiden City Siege pageant, the Memorial Hall provides changing and retiring rooms for the actors. It serves as the gathering place for the Apprentice Boys General Committee and officers prior to the parades taking place, and as a meeting point during the parade for ceremonial wreath-laying.

The hall houses a workshop where the effigy of Governor Robert Lundy is prepared. Lundy, reviled as "Lundy the traitor", is traditionally hanged and burned in effigy during the Shutting of the Gates procession.

The hall is also used by Orange Order lodges and preceptories of the Royal Black Institution. In particular, the City of Londonderry Grand Orange Lodge uses the hall.

Orange Victims Day remembrance services and exhibitions take place in the Memorial Hall annually on 1 September.

Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall is a key venue during Orange Heritage Week, in which lectures and workshops are held.

Loyalist marching bands use the Memorial Hall for weekly rehearsals, including Churchill Flute Band and William King Memorial Flute Band.

Siege Museum In 2013, the Apprentice Boys of Derry were awarded a grant of £2.2 million from the European Union's PEACE III Programme to build a museum. The museum occupies the site of the Hall's 1937 extension. Additional funding for the redevelopment was provided by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency. The project had a total cost of £3.7 million.

In April 2016, the Siege Museum and Exhibition, also known as the Apprentice Boys Museum, officially opened to the public.

The museum functions as a visitor centre, displaying a collection of artefacts, interactive displays, and educational material detailing the 1688–1689 Siege of Derry, the history of the Associated Clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, and the development of the Loyal Orders.

History

19th century The concept of erecting a memorial hall was first conceived during the 1860s.

Construction The Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall was constructed in two main phases, with the original section built between 1873 and 1877 and an extension added from 1935 to 1937. On 12 August 1873, the foundation stone was placed, and the initial portion facing Upper Magazine Street was opened in 1877. It was designed by architect John Guy Ferguson in a Scottish baronial style.

In 1877, following the opening of the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, a procession took place featuring 25 marching bands and displays of flags and banners. Rioting took place that resulted in the military being called in to diffuse the situation.

20th century

Extension The building was extended further along Society Street to designs by Robinson & Davidson. The extension opened in 1937. It honours those who died in World War I.

In 1989, during The Troubles, the Irish Republican Army detonated a bomb in a bar on Butcher Street shortly before an Apprentice Boys parade. The impact shattered the glass windows of the Memorial Hall.

21st century In August 2013, the National Lottery Community Fund awarded the Apprentice Boys a £90,000 grant to support the Memorial Hall and operate a temporary museum during the city's year as the inaugural UK City of Culture, following Derry's selection for the title.

In 2016, the Siege Museum, opened to the public.

In February 2026, the Apprentice Boys announced plans to carry out new works for the Memorial Hall. A majority of the work is to go towards upgrading the Siege Museum, but also includes a viewing platform on the flat roof of the Memorial Hall to offer panoramic views of Derry and Donegal.

In July 2026, a youth and children's flute band practising in the Memorial Hall were targeted in a sectarian attack involving the throwing of bricks and stones. DUP and SDLP MLAs condemned the attacks.

In popular culture "Londonderry on the Foyle" is an Ulster folk ballad written by Johnny McCauley that mentions the Memorial Hall. The song is about a Londonderry-born emigrant who fondly reflects on the city during The Troubles and the suffering endured by local residents.

The Memorial Hall and Siege Museum is a stop on walking tours of the Walled City.

Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, Londonderry Act The Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, Londonderry Act (Northern Ireland) 1935 is a local and private Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland to confer statutory powers upon the Trustees of the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall in Londonderry. It allows the trustees to lease, exchange, or dispose of certain parcels of land and real estate held in trust for the hall, as well as managing the structural expansion and administrative governing of the property. It was passed on 16 July 1935.Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, Londonderry Act (Northern Ireland) 1935 (25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. ii).

Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall

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