OUR wonderful built heritage is not properly appreciated, town centre Ranger, Kathleen Hughes tells me.
We are standing facing a section of the ancient walls, staring at graffiti. It's a depressing sight and I can't help but wonder what the many tourists milling around must think of it.
A Faughan girl by birth, I'm ashamed to say I've never really taken an interest in 'the Walls' and the city within. All that is about to change, however, as Kathleen shows she has another string to her bow - she is a mine of information on the Siege, the ancient architecture which surrounds us and has a tale or two to tell about historic figures. Did you know that 'the Walls' are made of Co. Derry blue stone? Now you do.
Entering the Walls at Magazine Gate, we meet staff from the Environment Heritage Service repairing the Wall, we pass Irvine's printworks, and Kathleen confides she served time there as a bookbinder. Her husband was a compositor.
Kathleen's history lesson really kicks off at Castle Gate which she calls an add-on gate: "When the Walls were built in 1614-1618, there were only four original gates: Bishop's Gate, Shipquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Ferryquay Gate. After the Siege was over, for about 100 years the City did really well and that's when it started to grow. They added three more gates on to facilitate traffic - New Gate, Magazine Gate and Castle Gate. The only place where the Walls are breached is at the New Market, to allow large vehiclular traffic to enter. These are the the most perfectly preserved walls in Ireland."
As we draw abreast an impressive building Kathleen's commentary continues: "That's First Derry Church. It has suffered quite a lot being on an interface, it has been damaged and defeaced with paintbombs, but that is not why it is closed. Why it's closed is a few years ago they were doing some work to the roof and they discovered that there is dry rot in it.
"So building control had to condemn it and it has not been used since, but the congreagation are still alive and well. They use Carlisle Road Methodist Church for their services, so they are still worshipping in the Cityside. Initially they proposed to put steel in but with listed buildings what you take out has to go back in again. Being Presbyterians they would not accept Lottery funding so they have done fundraising themselves, and the work is due to start this autumn to refurbish it," she said, adding: "It's a very important building. Whenever the city was being 'planted' initially it was nearly all Anglicans - no Presbyterians - and the poor Catholics didn't get a look in, but whenever St Columb's Cathedral was built (1628-33) then they took the Anglican's from St Augustine's here and put them up there (indicating the bigger church], and the Presbyterians - by which time they were bringing them in from Scotland - and they were two a man, the Presbyterians - so in actual fact, St Augustine's Church it started off as a monastery, and Augustine monastery, going back to 645AD.
"During the Siege times it became an Anglican Church and then for 50 years was a Presbyterian Church. There are actually five Presbyterian Ministers buried in there," she says, venturing that it is the oldest .
We are now standing in front of the Apprentice Boys Hall, built in the Scottish baronial style, and I am staggered by the intricate detail of the masonry.
Because the Cultural Trail is running during the time of our walk, we are able to nip into the ABH for a nosey. Sadly this building, despite it's beauty, is 'war-wounded' from paintbombings and stone attacks.
Inside history assaults you from every angle, ancient swords rest beside photographs of former Apprentice Boys, flags and regalia rub shoulders with ornaments, drums, porcelaine and delft donated to the APH, and memorabilia of every kind is set out on stands or rests inside sealed cabinets.
Inside Kathleen parts with a little of her own family history which was brought to her attention by regular Sentinel feature writer, Trevor Temple.
"Trevor was doing some research and it was my grandfather. He said he had come across my grandad living in 26 Fountain Place in 18-whatever. My gradfather was not born there, he was from Donegal, so was my granny, but I think the house that they lived in was belonging either to my granny or my granda's family. It's no longer there. Our street was knocked down in 1979."
One thing Kathleen draws my attention to is an old Williamite teaset, which is breathtaking, but my own favourite is the wooden dresser, and close by is a list of the 13 Apprentice Boys who are celebrated for their bravery in shutting the gates and protecting those within the Walled City from the approaching Jacobite Army.
"If you read the list you see a lot of names from this area. They are family names from about Co Londonderry.
"And do you see here? (pointing at a phontograph] The reason this was called Nailers' Row is that Derry was a shipbuilding town and this is where the nails were made, Nailers' Row. If you study maps and see the names of the streets, especially within the walls, they were named after the function that people carried out: Artiller Street, Magazine Street, Pump Street - where the water was - Bishop Street where the Bishop's house was, Shipquay Street which led you down to the dock, Bridge Street was named after the bridge, Orchard Street was where the orchard was. It is all so simple."
We round a corner as we wander from committee room to committee room admiring the artefacts and pictures and come across an effigy of Lundy. I ask her a question: "What were you told about Lundy when you were growing up?"
"Well my father used to come up, you see, for his burning and I was always in behind him. I was told that he tried to sell us over to the other side, basically. But I have since read that he was a great soldier and just because he left the city it wasn't the end of him. He got a commission and I think he ended his days in either Spain or Portugal in charge of a whole garrison. I think he was a Scotsman, first and foremost, and I think his duty when he took his oath was to the King. Now to him the King would have been James. Being a Scot, albeit he may have been a Catholic and Parliamentarians didn't want a Catholic on the throne, but I think that's where his loyalties lay and that's why I think he was revered by one side and hated by the other. But if you look at it in the cold light of day, I think he was soldier - end of story".
On the wall is a list of names of people seeking damages for their losses sent to King William III as a result of the Siege of 1689. Their claims were never honoured.
"They lost their homes, their belongings, they lost everything," Kathleen says, adding: "Most of them lost their lives. It is arguable how many people were in the City before the Siege, some say 10,000, some say much more, but at the end there was only 2,500."
An avid reader, Kathleen says she loved history when she was at school, and as we wander through the churches before making our way onto the Walls again and head towards the bastions, she confides that she is engrossed in reading about the Stuart Dynasty at the moment.
"Mary Queen of Scots fascinates me. I know quite a bit about the local history now, that's for sure," she says as we stare out at Creggan hill.
Kathleen draws my attention to the corner window of the Bishop's House behind me, and goes on to tell me how children's hymn writer, Cecil Frances Alexander wrote the hymn 'There is a Green Hill Far Away' looking out that very window at Creggan hill.
With rain threatening, we make our way to the Verbal Arts Centre for tea, bringing my informative walk on the walled side to an end.