Derry walls The project aims to create greater understanding of the city's walls
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £446,700 to a new project on the historic walls of the city of Londonderry.
The grant to Holywell Trust will be used to support a greater understanding of the walls and their connection with the city.
Last year, Derry was named the UK's inaugural City of Culture
Head of HLF NI, Paul Mullan said the project would support a "new shared future" in the city.
"We are delighted to support this ambitious project which will re-examine, and provide a modern understanding of the relationship between the local community and the iconic City Walls," he said.
"This award is particularly timely, and will be of huge importance in putting heritage firmly at the heart of the first UK City of Culture celebrations in 2013, the year which will also mark the 400th anniversary of the building of the City Walls.
"With community engagement throughout, the project will enable all communities to explore this heritage, which is often viewed as contradictory or different, to uncover the shared history of the walls and their impact on people's lives."
Identity
The three year 'DiverseCity Programme' aims to uncover the "shared heritage" of the walls through a series of community-based consultations, seminars, conferences and workshops.
The HLF said contributions from all communities would be recorded and used to produce a 'Definitive History of the Walled City'.
It said research would be carried out into the contribution made by individuals and families not originally from Derry, "whose past contributions have significantly impacted upon life in and the development of, the city".
It said a programme of events focusing on the walls would also be staged, using themes such as "plantation, identity and ownership".
Eamonn Deane, Director of Holywell Trust said: "We are delighted with this good news for the trust and for the city.
"It builds on the achievements of the Diamond War Memorial Project and gives us an opportunity to develop processes of partnership and collaboration as we deepen our understanding of past events so that we may create an inclusive future."
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