Construction under way at new maritime museum

Construction is under way on a multimillion-pound museum which will explore Londonderry’s historical maritime links.

The Derry North Atlantic (DNA) Museum in Ebrington Square is expected to opens in 2027.

The museum will tell the story of the city’s close connection with the North Atlantic, particularly the ebb and flow of migration.

The coastal waters off the city are also the final resting place for a number of Spanish Armada ships including the galleon La Trinidad Valencera.

Restored artefacts from the galleon will be on display in the museum.

Its six art galleries and archive discovery zone will tell the story of Derry’s role in the longest naval campaign of the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic.

The museum was designed by Todd Architects and will include new construction alongside the restoration of two listed 1840s military structures.

Gavin Robinson of Todd Architects said: “You don’t want to put new interventions in to make it look like a mish-mash. You want somebody to stand there and go, ‘that’s the old bit and that’s the new bit’.”

The Derry City & Strabane District Council-led project has received City Deal Inclusive Future Funding administered through Tourism Northern Ireland, along with support from the Executive Office, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Department for Communities, with additional funding from Garfield Weston & Galewest Investments and the Wolfson Foundation.