European Heritage Open Days - Derry Shirt Factory Tour

What to Expect

This European Heritage Open Days walking tour, led by Manus Deery of the Historic Environment Division, traces Derry’s shirt manufacturing heritage on a route from Craigavon Bridge, via Bishop Street, to Great James’ Street. The tour meets at the former Tillie and Henderson factory gate on Carlisle Road, once the anchor of an industry that, at its peak, employed more than 18,000 people across 44 factories and underpinned the city’s economy for over a century, giving Derry its reputation as the “Maiden City” of the shirt trade and one of the great shirt-manufacturing centres of the world. Along the way, the guide explains how many of these former factories, some purpose-built for the industry and others converted from existing warehouses and mills, have been repurposed over the past 25 years for offices, housing, hotels and other modern uses, giving a different lens on streets and buildings visitors may already know well without realising their industrial past. Deery draws on his role with the Historic Environment Division to explain how the surviving factory buildings are protected and interpreted today, and what has been lost. The one-hour tour is in-person only, covers firm pavement terrain throughout, and is a rare chance to walk the old shirt trade streets with an expert guide rather than relying on a static plaque or leaflet.

Good to Know

• Sunday 13 September 2026, 2.00pm to 3.00pm
• Free to attend, but booking via Eventbrite is required as places are limited
• Meeting point is the former Tillie and Henderson factory gate on Carlisle Road
• Route runs from Craigavon Bridge via Bishop Street to Great James’ Street
• Part of the wider European Heritage Open Days programme running across Northern Ireland on 12 and 13 September 2026
• Led by Manus Deery, Director of the Historic Environment Division

Getting There

The meeting point on Carlisle Road is a short walk from Derry’s city centre and Foyle Street bus station, within the wider walled city area and close to the Guildhall.