Roebuck Inn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey three bay terraced house on the south east side of Main Street forming a group with the similar number 23 adjacent (HB02/12/013). Painted brick facade with rendered and decorated ground floor. Elaborate architrave around imitation sash windows of upper floors: lugged with keystone at centre of head. Each window with eight panes i.e. square, panes not of rectangular Georgian proportion. Stone cills, slate roof, reconstructed brick chimneys at each end of ridge, cast iron rainwater goods.

Two entrance doors on ground floor of similar design. One to the south west end of the facade aligning with the windows above. The other aligning with the space between the upper windows further to the north east. This door is flanked by two narrow windows with heads aligning with the door fanlights. All openings to this floor have pronounced quoins which interrupt a more standard architrave at regular intervals. (A Gibbs surround’). Semi-circular fanlights to the doors are single pane with an interlacing pattern in an etched background. The doors have five panels and original door furniture. Two vertical panels over the mid rail have semi-circular heads. Between the openings the plasterwork is coursed. An entablature across the whole facade contains the name of the pub: ‘Roebuck Inn’. A cornice above abuts the cills of the first floor windows. Each end of the entablature abuts a projecting bracket carved with overlapping medals and ribs.

The rear of the building is obscured by a two storey pitched modern return. This extends across the full width of the facade and to the D O E car park in the rear. Its width is reduced near the car park to allow a right of way to the back of number 23 to be maintained.

Historical information

Building shown on this site on 1831 map. It is probable that it was this building as the architectural features of its sister building next door suggest an early construction for the pair. In the 1858 Griffiths Valuation the building was occupied by a Mr J Callaghan who leased from Mr S Thompson (lessor of number 23 also). Its value was £20, one pound more than its neighbour, even though it had no return. This suggests that the elaborate Victorian remodelling of the facade had taken place at this time. The ‘Christian Brethren’ are recorded as meeting in the building in 1859 (Rev Mullan).

By the 1950s the building was in use as a solicitors office (Kevin Agnew) and continued as such to the late 1960s. It also was used as a branch of the Hibernian Bank one day per week who rented a room. It is described by Girvan in the early 1970s as the ‘former National Bank’. In 1989 the department processed an application for consent for change of use ‘from a shop to a licensed premises’. Architects were Loughery and Agnew (then of Limavady) who designed the rear extension. The building is reputed to have a ghost.

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
1858 Griffiths valuation
Mr Gerard Loughery Architect

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Pre 1830 building which is part of a group of two, remodelled during the Victorian era. It has been so extensively altered both internally and to rear that listing can no longer be justified.