Derry Journal Our Space 32: The last of the Harbour Buildings
As we look forward to next year’s new Maritime Museum at Ebrington, evidence of the once busy city-centre harbour has almost disappeared. Shipping used to come up as far as Craigavon Bridge and anyone could walk along the quays. But in 1993 the harbour moved to deep water and behind security gates at Lisahally.
Rare craft visiting the city centre can still tie up at the quayside bollards. But harbour agencies, warehouses, mills, cranes, railways, cattle pens and passenger offices have disappeared. Only two significant buildings remain from the city centre port: the old Harbour Commissioners Office at Harbour Square - recently home of the Harbour Museum; and Choice Housing’s 126 Strand Road - formerly Gillilands Mills opposite Rock Road.
The Harbour Office was built in 1882. The Harbour Commissioners met there for 100 years until the 1980s, by which time shipping was focussed on Meadowbank Quay at Sainsburys.
The Meadowbank office was a much less grandiose building beside the old graving dock - a small single-storey, flat-roofed office that had been built in advance in case the Harbour Square office might be bombed in the Troubles.
Gillilands Mill was decades older - built in 1846 for Samuel Gilliland, it both produced flour and had a large bakery. By 1990 it had fallen out of use and, with a whole new block built on the Strand Road side, it was converted into residential apartments.
So Derry children may see small boats at the Timber Quay marina. But they don’t connect the way children used to, with the ships and sailors that serve the North West.