23 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey, three bay, terraced house on the south east side of Main street forming a group with the similar Roebuck Inn adjacent (HB02/12/014). Modern flat roofed dormer projects from slate roof. Façade is brick on ground floor and smooth rendered above. Cast iron rainwater goods. PVC windows in a twelve pane Georgian pattern on the first and second floors, with painted stone cills. Shopfront window on ground floor, single pane with integral glazed entrance door all of modern construction with modern painted timber sign above. Fine fanlit Georgian doorway to south west end of facade aligning with windows above. Tuscan columns without decorative base (but stone plinth) support a decorative entablature which breaks forward over the column heads. Above is a finely detailed segmental cobweb fanlight. The hardwood door which has brass furniture is six panelled and has a stained finish. Door and furniture are probably not original. The door-case is recessed in the brick facade. The jamb of the brickwork is rendered and painted.

To the rear of the building the walls are completely rendered. Windows are PVC with one aligning set dropping to light the stair inside. A return of three storeys sits out into the yard. The former stable block at the end of the plot has been converted into a shop with storage above, selling computers. Its facade faces onto the D O E car park at the rear.

Historical information

Building and stables shown on this site on 1831 map though return appears longer and thinner. The fanlight of the door is of a type associated with building work of the 1790s when curved glazing bars began to be incorporated with the radiating designs, though the fashion may have reached Limavady later. The 1848 map shows the return more as today. The £19 valuation of the 1858 Griffiths Valuation indicates a substantial building on the site similar to the present. The lessor was Mr S Thompson who also rented out number 25 adjacent. Occupant was J Davis. Building was occupied by North West Books from 1900s to 1980s when it was bought by the present owner.

References

Primary Sources:
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' enlarged from 1st Edition Map (1831) PRONI: Val 2D/5/4 & T2933/4/126
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
D Girvan, 'The Buildings of north Derry' UAHS 1975 p12
TH Mullan 'Limavady and the Roe Valley' Limavady Council 1983 p75
Environmental and Heritage Service Technical Note No. 35: Fanlights
1858 Griffiths Valuation

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Part of a group of substantially existent pre 1830 buildings on Main Street. This building was of interest particularly because of the fine Georgian doorway which adds to the historical nature and architectural detail of Main Street. The inappropriate alterations to front interior and rear destroy it's interest as an historic building.