'A city fit for war and merchandise'
In 1600 Elizabeth I of England instructed Sir Henry Docwra to establish and fortify a new settlement on the Foyle. An explosion in the cathedral in 1567 had largely destroyed the town. Docwra and his 4200 troops re-used the stones and rubbish of the old buildings. He surrounded the main fort with earthen walls to protect it from attack by powerful local chiefs.

Plantation city
The Plantation city was the first planned town in Ireland. The merchant companies of the City of London funded its building in return for grants of land in the North of Ireland. Four streets met in a central market area called the Diamond. Walls and ditches surrounded the settlement and a gate on each side controlled who went in and out. By 1620 the town had around 100 houses, a church and a school.

'Excellently made and neatly wrought'
Built between 1614-18 the walls are among the finest fortifications of their kind in Europe. They are over 1.5 km long and up to eight metres high: in places they are over nine metres wide. Originally there were four gates in the walls, two of which had drawbridges. Except along the steep slope overlooking the bog, a dry ditch, 3.5 metre deep, was dug outside the walls for added protection.

Abbey Street to Workhouse Lane
Street names are a reminder of the city's past. Vessels tied up at the foot of Shipquay Street until the late 18th century. A small boat took passengers across the river from the Ferryquay or Wapping. It became Bridge Street after the first crossing of the Foyle opened in 1781. Some names changed several times over the years - Ferryquay Street has also been known as Gracechurch Street, Gracious Street and Queen Street.

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