Over £500,000 has been spent on the Tower Museum in the last five years

Derry City and Strabane District Council have spent £528,387.11 on the maintenance and upkeep of the Tower Museum, over the past five years. 

Derry Now acquired these figures through a Freedom of Information request.

The money has been spent to cover heat, light, office, and maintenance costs.

For the period 2023–24, the costs of operating the museum have amounted to £124,522.94. 

These operating costs make it the second-most expensive year over this period. 

Only 2022–23 is more expensive, with costs that year mounting to £126,564.37. 

This was a sharp rise from 2021–22, with the council spending £89,657.60 on the Tower Museum. 

Meanwhile, the year before was the lowest recorded across this period for maintenance and upkeep costs, with only £75,066.96 being spent. 

This was a sharp decrease from the year prior, with the council spending £112,575.31 in 2019–20 on operating costs.

Over this period of five years, the Tower Museum had 102,093 visitors, which is less than the number of people who visited the Museum of Free Derry, which saw 172,800 visitants.

Meanwhile, the Siege Museum only saw 63,000 in that period. 

And it was reported that the Tower Museum collected £255,929 over this five year period.

The most recent year, 2023-24, saw the museum collect £123,794, this is only £8,341 less than the other four years collectively.

Figures regarding the collection of money and the cost of maintenance and upkeep were not available for the Museum of Free Derry and Siege Museum as they are independent museums supported through council grant programme, and as they are not council-run, details were not able to be provided through this Freedom of Information request.