Whilst on a Battlefield Tour I visited here. It was quite an interesting start when the bus pulled up and the tour guide told us to be careful as there was an unexploded grenade on the side of the road. The Tower itself is a glorious building set in some vast and beautiful countryside! It is well maintained and although you can only go in one room of the tower, this was presented excellently. Behind the tower there is a café with its own built in display of artefacts and history. The people who own the café and live in the tower were lovely. For something that's quite out of the way it is well worth a visit as it is a great place and a fantastic memorial.
It was our great fortune to arrive at the Ulster Memorial Tower during the first lull of the day - just after lunch-time on Sunday, 12 October. It was the first time the mature couple running the Tower's tea room had sat down all day - how's that for dedication from volunteers? I would have thought that an occasional 'helping hand' wouldn't go amiss sometimes. We have visited the museum and the tower before so we were only there for a refreshment break this time. The lull didn't last long, however, because we had barely sat down at the table with our coffees when two coaches of school children turned up in quick succession. The front of the Tower site has been up-graded with a new block-paved surface but the parking area is still very restricted. It appeared that both coaches had been booked in but the first coach had turned up early. Instead of arriving for the tour departure time and eating/drinking after, they arrived early and teachers/tutors just dictated that they would eat first and then go on the tour. Thus, the front of the museum/tea room was awash with 2 coach-loads of pupils who were oblivious to anyone else trying to manoeuvre around the site. A previous reviewer/teacher wrote negatively about the gentleman who took school children on a tour into Thiepval Wood ..... certainly, it was the friendly gentleman who helped serve us who took out the pupils whilst we were there. I speak as I find and my description of this particular gentleman would be opposite to the words "rude and unprofessional" used by this teacher. To speak as I find again, I have witnessed shameful and disrespectful behaviour from British school/college students during this recent trip to the Somme and, on the whole, accompanying adults have been indifferent to it. Regretfully, my husband and I could always correctly identify a British group from afar by their negative behaviour. Being British, this was very "uncomfortable and embarrassing" for us. All I can say is "Well Done" to two great & patient volunteers - they deserve congratulations.
The tower was built as a monument to the men of Ulster who fell in the first world war. I went to see it as an Irishman and glad I made the visit.
lovely place, well worth the visit. nice quiet memorial, lovely grounds and beautifully kept. great tea room/cafe, small museum as well, lovely lady serving very helpful indeed. decent pot of tea at a very reasonable price.
The Ulster Tower Memorial is well worth some of your time. It is a fitting memorial to those of Ulster who died on the Somme. It is very well looked after. The cafe at the back is well worth visiting and the people who run it are very friendly. This is the best place to have a drink and snack in the Thiepval and Beaumont Hammel area.
Having visited Ypres and Tyne Cot we headed down to Thiepval woods and Ulster Tower. We were a big tour group made up of a variety of schools, both students and teachers were present. It really is worth going to see both the woods and tower. Unfortunately the guide was deeply rude and unprofessional to both students and a teacher. This made an otherwise enjoyable trip uncomfortable and embarrassing.
This is a simple (access is basically to one memorial room in the tower) but beautifully presented memorial and can be easily incorporated to visits to the nearby memorials, particularly the Thiepval Memorial and the Newfoundland memorial park. Just behind the tower is a café and although we only had drinks, was a nice to use it to have a rest during our tour of the sites.
This is a place not to be missed if you are in the Somme area, Teddy and Phoebe are two wonderful characters who give you an Ulster Welcome no matter how often you visit. The tour of the Thiepval wood with Teddy (who's knowledge is outstanding on the subject matter) makes the visit just amazing, then back to the Tower Café where Phoebe will be waiting with a smile, a yarn and a good cup of tea. The tower itself is imposing and rightly so to commemorate the Ulster men who still lie within its shadows, a very worthwhile visit. The surrounding area is well kept.
What a surprise to see this rising out of the French countryside! Beautifully kept with friendly cafe run by lively Irish lady
The memorial was quite small, but the reason for it - building a replica of a building from their home town as their memorial - made it really special. Worth a visit to see the piece of home built for those who never made it home.