86 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey, three structural bay, brick house, in the Georgian style, with basement and slate roof. Panelled door with fanlight recessed in centre of main north east elevation flanked by timber Tuscan columns and the base of missing pilasters. Mullions of fanlight crude and modern, door not original, three steps to door recent replacements in concrete paving slabs and contrasting brick. Two tall eighteen pane sashed windows to either side of entrance. Five smaller, of similar design aligning above. Sandstone cills to windows, painted. Sandstone kneeler course at eaves level not painted. Brick chimneys to each gable with different pots. That to the south east small and plain. Those to the north west decorated and Victorian. Rainwater goods are cast iron.

The building faces small garden enclosed by a brick wall. It is situated behind Main Street and accessed via a narrow passage between two terraces. There is a fine view north east towards Keady mountain.

The garden is a storey higher than Main street and to the entrance passage on the south east side the basement is exposed at ground level. The passage aligns with the back of the house and concrete steps mount the side of the building to garden level flanked by a curving brick wall. Two small windows light the basement near the front, one is a casement one a sash. To the rear are 12 pane sash windows aligning at ground and first floors. In the attic a small round head sash is centred on the gable. Its cill is a sandstone string course aligning with the kneeler stone of the front elevation.

To the rear a small lean-to return (2 metres long x 4 metres wide) sits out from the centre and abuts the boundary wall. A rendered strengthening arch springs from the south ease corner of the building to the top of the wall at first floor level. One sash window aligns at each floor to either side of the return. Smaller windows light its sides.

To the north west of the return a one metre wide slot lights the basement and this continues along the length of the north west gable.

The north west gable is similar to the south east, a twelve pane sash is at ground floor near the back of the building. A small sash is off centre above the string course. A painted steel fire escape descends from a door at first floor. On both gables the barge detail has been recently altered. Proprietary metal interlocking flashings combine to produce a slate grey box height 50 mm approximately which projects a similar dimension from the side of the building.

Historical information

Building first indicated on 1848 Ordnance Survey maps of Limavady. Griffith Valuation refers to the property as house, offices and out-house, valuation £44 occupant Samuel Long, owner of ground R Ogilby. Was hotel in early 1940s owned by Murphy of Ballymena. (See Girvan p.12) Segmental fanlight blocked in but retaining glazing bars in 1972. In the 1970 survey it was in the ownership of the ‘County Londonderry Health Committee’ and was in use as a health clinic. The Roads Service and Rates department of Limavady Council took over during 1973 when a new Health Centre opened in the town. The Roads Service has been sole occupier since the early 1980s. Fire doors were installed circa 1990, the exterior renovations 1993. The fire escape dates from the early 1980s.

References

Primary Sources:
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' (1848 revision with notes of 1858 valuation) PRONI: 058/120/1/1 & T2933/3/140
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1895) PRONI:Val 2D/5/4 & 293/4/261
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1907) PRONI:058/120/2/3

Secondary Sources
Occupants
Historic Buildings records.
W D Girvan,The Buildings of North Derry UAHS (1975) p12
Griffith Valuation 1858

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Simple and elegant house in Georgian style with an unusual access from Limavady Main Street. Situated in a pleasant walled garden. Quality of building diminished by the heavy handed renovations of the main entrance.