St. Columb's Cathedral
St. Columb's Cathedral
St. Columb's Cathedral
4.5
About
Majestic, neo-Gothic Church of Ireland (Anglican) Cathedral, built between 1628 and 1633. St. Columb's is the oldest and most historic building within the walled City of Londonderry. It has recently been extensively restored. The Chapter House Museum displays artefacts from the Siege of Londonderry in 1689 and also many other interesting items.There is an audio visual display which tells the visitor the history of the Cathedral and there are guide leaflets available in 8 Languages. Admission is free - donations are welcome.
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4.5
347 reviews
Excellent
200
Very good
126
Average
16
Poor
1
Terrible
4
S Griffiths
35 contributions
June 2022
We arrived in Derry on Sunday and went sight seeing on Monday morning. The church was supposed to be open but was firmly locked to all comers. The office was also closed although supposed to be open and their was no response on the given phone number.
Written 20 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Red
Stockport, UK467 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
This beautiful cathedral dominates the skyline and is Londonderry's oldest building with an amazing history, much of it associated to the famous siege which locals rightly feel enormously proud of the way the city and its people bravely fought against invading forces. Beautiful stained glass windows, the oldest peal of bells in Ireland and a fantastic museum which should not be missed.
Written 23 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bozeman-Dublin
Trim, Ireland11,249 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
St Columbs Cathedral is absolutely beautiful and well Worth a visit. It's spire dominates the city skyline and it's set in lovely grounds right next to the city walls. There is an access gate from the walls themselves but it was closed on my visit so you enter on the street,.
Admission is free although they ask for a donation to help fund the 4 million pounds it took yo restore the place so beautifully. £2 is suggested but it's up to you.
It was built in 1628 in neo gothic style and is the oldest of call the historic buildings in the city with beautiful stained glass windows and numerous artefacts from the Siege of Derry. It has lots of ancient flags hanging along the sides and at the back of the altar. They are quite captivating as they are really showing their age, some going back to the siege itself of 1688.
It's a religious place, a place of worship, so I find it hard to reconcile spoils of war and conflict bring displayed while you pray but I cannot deny that they are hugely significant historically and extremely interesting.
Anyway, a beautiful place, so serene and venerable. A highlight of any visit to Derry in my opinion.
Admission is free although they ask for a donation to help fund the 4 million pounds it took yo restore the place so beautifully. £2 is suggested but it's up to you.
It was built in 1628 in neo gothic style and is the oldest of call the historic buildings in the city with beautiful stained glass windows and numerous artefacts from the Siege of Derry. It has lots of ancient flags hanging along the sides and at the back of the altar. They are quite captivating as they are really showing their age, some going back to the siege itself of 1688.
It's a religious place, a place of worship, so I find it hard to reconcile spoils of war and conflict bring displayed while you pray but I cannot deny that they are hugely significant historically and extremely interesting.
Anyway, a beautiful place, so serene and venerable. A highlight of any visit to Derry in my opinion.
Written 14 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maureen D
Belfast, UK34 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
It's an interesting building, architecturally speaking both inside and outside.
The grand scale and the heavily decorated interior is also quite nice.
However, what perhaps puts a dampener of the visit is that the front reception is a shop and you can't take photos without paying which I don't feel really represents the charitable nature of the Christian faith. There is an interesting video which of course you can also buy if you are into paying for something you'll probably only watch once.
On the whole, the building itself if beautiful, from an architectural point however be prepared to be bombarded with items to be bought.
The grand scale and the heavily decorated interior is also quite nice.
However, what perhaps puts a dampener of the visit is that the front reception is a shop and you can't take photos without paying which I don't feel really represents the charitable nature of the Christian faith. There is an interesting video which of course you can also buy if you are into paying for something you'll probably only watch once.
On the whole, the building itself if beautiful, from an architectural point however be prepared to be bombarded with items to be bought.
Written 12 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As far as I am aware most Cathedrals in the British Isles have a shop.The profit from the shop helps in a small way with the running and maintenance costs of the Cathedral. In the past few years we have spent almost £4 million on major restoration work and maintenance. We do not charge admission to non-commercial visitors, so we make a small charge for photography and, if a visitors makes a voluntary donation, we do not charge for photography.
We sell only a small number of items in the shop so to use the word "bombarded" seems to be excessive in the extreme. There is no pressure on anyone to buy, videos included.
It seems that one of the tenets of the Christian Faith ,charity, has bypassed you!!
Written 29 June 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karin T
69 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
Free to get in, no photos without donation. This is an open Cathedral so do not be surprised finding someone praying or meditating any day, any time. Be respectful and if you are genuinely interested in this Cathedral's history and what part it played in the Walled City's history, befriend a volunteer and they will unlock secrets for you that you had no idea were right there!! Once you taken in the size, beauty, history, architecture, etc. of the interior, take a stroll through the grounds around the Cathedral. You won't be disappointed, but you will be surprised how much time you spent absorbing everything, so don't underestimate the time you allot yourself. Be sure to visit St. Augustine's Church before so that the history and architecture can fully be appreciated.
Written 26 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JSZERO3
Grantham, NH20 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
We happened upon this Cathedral by happenstance and decided to stop in. A friendly docent immediately approached us and offered to show us around. He was so kind and knowledgeable. It was as if he took us on our very wonderful journey into the history and soul of Northern Ireland, as seen through the window of that little Cathedral. Thank you so much for an experience and feeling we will never forget.!
Written 18 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
letterkennycaint
Letterkenny, Ireland12,197 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
This beautiful old building is within the walls and as the name suggests, is dedicated to St Columba. While walking the walls recently, I decided to go in for a gawk. On entering, I got stopped by a man, who was charging visitors for looking around, and taking pictures. Personally, I do not believe in having to pay, to enter churches [or cathedrals], so I told him, that I had no money, and that I'd return at a later date. However, he let me in without paying, but would not allow me to take pictures in the museum.
Written 19 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is no charge to enter St. Columb's Cathedral. Visitors are asked to make a voluntary donation if they wish to do so. There is a small charge of £2 to take photographs in the main body of the Cathedral. This is usually waived if the visitor has made a voluntary donation. Photographs are not allowed in the Chapter House Museum due to the fragile nature of some of the material on display there.
You should not have been ask to pay for entry and I'm sorry that this has happened. We'll be happy to refund that charge if you email with your details.
Written 20 February 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Derryfan
Glasgow10 contributions
We are regular visitors to Derry, but decided this year to make our 1st visit to the cathedral. We were totally shocked that there was an admission 'donation' of £2 per person and that once we paid, we were not allowed to take photographs. On discovering this we decided to pass on the experience..................
Written 29 July 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rogersober
Clermont, FL38,117 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
We happened into this Church as they were viewing the Queens documents from their archives. The showed them to us. We were amazed and thrilled. The docents were wonderful.
Written 22 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MandM5960
Southport, UK489 contributions
Sept 2020
Absolutely stunning Cathedral, a must see whilst in Derry. Very well kept both inside and outside. Visit is about twenty minutes but very well worth calling in.
Written 16 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, I was wondering if any one can confirm if there is a kids club and when it runs from to ?
Written 26 February 2015
Not sure what you are on about here? It's a Church that is open to the public you can take your children with you supervised.
Written 1 March 2015
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