The London walls of Derry

When last the EWT (then WTFC) came to Derry in 1994

Derry/Londonderry's fine complete city walls are 400 years old next year. 400 years ago the Livery Companies of the City of London, combining in the still extant The Honourable the Irish Company were deciding to build them. The Holywell Trust has set up a new website, on which comments are most welcome.

AMELIA Draft Town Text (dmb)

Amelia is located in Umbria 42° 33′ 0″ N, 12° 25′ 0″ E

“Amelia, which is today a very important historical and cultural centre, was once one of the liveliest Italian cities.Its origins are very ancient .... Amelia is the main town of a territory called Amerino, which includes many minor centres like Giove, Penna in Teverina, Alviano, Attigliano, Lugnano in Teverina, Avigliano and Montecastrilli. These towns have succeeded in preserving their medieval atmosphere thanks to the remarkable remains of castles, ancient walls and towers” From Town website.

Amelia is on a hilltop and its Poligonal Walls date from the VII-IV centuries B.C

The conservation and planning of the town is managed by the Commune and the province of Terni.

Town website link

Wikipedia link only in Italian

Baedeker Italie  Centrale 1909 p92 height 406 metres (1388ft) (1875) "admirably preserved *walls in the Cyclopean style"(1875:62 English).

Notes on Greenish travel to Amelia: Night train from Paris, Gare de Bercy to Florence and train onto Narni-Amelia; 9 buses a day to Amelia. See Seat61 for prices and timings to Florence from UK. See German Rail website for timings from the rest of Europe

Photos from a DMB visit: no visit yet.

Berwick - congratulations on Portas High Street funding

Congratulations to Berwick on being awarded a 'Portas Pilot' UK Government grant to revive your High Street in the walled town: see link.(courtesy of Civic Voice). All walled towns could benefit from the advice on improving town centre shopping, This link is to that general advice "100 Ways to Help the High Street".
Berwick's bid is described by the town itself on their website. Perhaps Berwick might like to enhance its prospects further by linking its Wednesday and Saturday markets with those from other UK and European walled towns: Stirling (town description coming soon) and York are both linked by direct rail services (well Stirling is once a day and York regularly). Via London King's Cross/St Pancras, it is easy (as seat 61 always says) to change onto Eurostar for travel to and from the continental walled towns.

Elvas UNESCO World Heritage Site

Many Congratulations to everyone in the member Walled Town of Elvas on succeeding with the difficult, elaborate and worthwhile process of  becoming a World Heritage Site. This is the link to the register for "The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications". The  Walled Towns Friendship Circle (as it then was) was privileged to have its 11th Symposium in the town in 2001.The Mayor and town of Elvas were wonderful hosts and uniquely among  Walled Towns Symposia to date, they published a full set of  proceeding "Conclusiones" in both Portuguese and English.

DMB giving a paper Elvas 2001

It is interesting to look back and see that Ray Bondin from Malta, Secretary General of ICOMOS, gave all participants specific advice about World Heritage applications. Elvas has certainly proved itself to be a 'gem city' which was a concept that I introduced to walled towns at the meeting - my paper is available from this link.