One of Derry's most historic buildings was destroyed in a fire last night which the police believe was started deliberately.
The Tillie and Henderson building at the junction of Craigavon Bridge and Abercorn Road was once one of the largest shirt factories in Europe, and was mentioned by Karl Marx in his book Das Kapital.
The five-storey building, which had been in a state of dereliction for several years, was at the centre of a controversial planning application by a Belfast-based hotelier who wanted to build a hotel on the site. In recent months there have been several fires inside the building, all of them arson.
Last night's fire was reported to the Fire Service in Derry just after 6 p.m..
Thirty firefighters using six fire appliances initially struggled to contain the fire as the flames were fanned by high winds. Two hours after they were called to the scene, the officers managed to bring the fire under control.