Unique new museum charts the history of Derry from all angles

The new Bedlam Museum has been created by the proprietors of popular antique treasure trove, Bedlam on Shipquay Street, and for its proprietor Gary McNicholl this has been something of a labour of love.

From Roman coins and ancient documents to authentic US navy, Irish and British military outfits, to an array of real weapons from the past century and Republican and Loyalist prisoner art, Bedlam Museum literally has all bases covered and is unique in that it charts the story of Derry from multiple angles.

And every artifact Gary has collected down the years tells its own story. In fact, the museum, which run by Gary and his partner Tracie Thomas, is transportive.

Gary inherited his love of collecting from his father Patsy McNicholl, who ran the former ‘Rocking Horse’ and ‘Bygones’ stores on Carlisle Road, where Gary helped out from the age of 14.

Bedlam antique store was previously in various locations before moving to its new permanent home in the heart of the city’s main street.

Speaking about how the museum came about, he said: “We opened here on Shipquay Street three days before Covid hit and then we had to close. The museum has been in my head, and that gave me the time to get my head down. I had set it all up in the basement below us during Covid but it wasn’t working out so we moved it up here and it’s a better job.

“It started with my father, and we have been doing antiques and gathering a lot of stuff for a long time.

"I just started collecting things I liked myself and it grew and grew into other things, it just sort of widened out.

"Then I started with the political things and you started learning more about, for example the First World War, and later when you see different paperwork, the actual paperwork, from both sides it opens your eyes a bit.

"Anything that came here came local. There’s U-boat captain coats there, early coins, Roman things which were dug up here, locks from the Siege Dutch gun, a brick from the foundation of the cathedral [St Columb’s] up here that came out when they did it up.”

Dungiven native Gary has put a lot of thought into deciding which items to include and which to leave out, and has been even handed in approach.

"There is something in there that is going to annoy everybody and that’s what I tell people going into it! It keeps it right,” he laughs.

The eclectic mix of fascinating antiques and artifacts come from numerous sources, and some of it he obtained by exchanging other items in his collection with fellow collectors.

The new museum comes with an audio guide explaining the various items in their historical and cultural context, and this is available in Chinese, Cantonese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, English and, as of next week, as gaeilge (in Irish).

Entry is £6 or two for £10 and for a few pounds extra the museum offers the unique opportunity to get your photo taken with the historic weapons in hand. Full photoshoot sessions with the military uniforms on and the weapons can also be arranged in advance and this novelty addition is already proving popular.

In fact, feedback overall on Bedlam Museum has been extremely positive, from schoolteachers and historians to young people and those who experienced the Troubles firsthand.

Tracie said: “We’d encourage people to come along and check it out.”

The museum and Bedlam shop, which sells antique jewellery, furniture and various other unique items, is located at 32 Shipquay Street and is open 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, but can accommodate people for private tours / shopping outside these hours. For more info telephone 028 71268219.