81 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

(Recorded 1997 prior to demolition in late 1999)
Larger of two heavily modelled painted plaster late Victorian terraced town houses facing north west at the north eastern end of Main street. Two storey with a steeply sloping slate roof and large modelled brick chimneys (seven pots) on each end of the ridge. Building three structural bays wide with one two pane sash over the central entrance door and two, two pane sashes grouped to each side. Sashes on ground floor have filleted top corners and architrave and are contained within a coursed plaster background. Their cills are part of a string course aligning with the plinth of pilasters on the facade There are two Doric pilasters to each side of the panelled entrance door which has a plain semi-circular fanlight and a keystone jutting into the architrave of the entablature above (which is in the Doric fashion). Triglyphs occur only over the door and pilasters. At each end of the building is a wider Doric pilaster which brakes up into the entablature. That to the north east forming part of the composition of number 83 (HB02/12/020B) as it forms one of a pair flanking its entrance door. At first floor, windows have rectangular heads, architraves and keystones. Their cills form a string course. The eaves are supported by a cornice. The south west end has an applied pilaster.

The exterior plasterwork is in need of maintenance.

Historical information

‘In 1883 Henry Connell purchased from Sarah Jackson six thatched houses on the south side of Main Street with four acres of ground in the rear along Methodist Lane. All were demolished and two large and commodious houses were erected adjoining the fine business premises of himself and his brother John. Architect W J Given, Contractor J S Brolly’. (Reverend Mullan). Dr R A Reid lived in the house until 1981 and had his surgery on the ground floor. It was used as a Ladies Fashion Shop until 1997 by Tweedy Acheson.
The buildings were demolished in late 1999 to make way for a new supermarket .

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 p69
Rev T E Mullan,Limavady and the Roe Valley (1983)
Coleraine Constitution 25/10/1884
Rev Philip Donnelly Great Church of the Roe
present owner (1997)

**File Note :- Listing abandoned - property demolished*

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A high Victorian town house which had remarkably well preserved and interesting interior fittings. Exterior decoration was perhaps too ornate for late twentieth century taste but its form was in sympathy with the rest of Main Street. It also formed an interesting group with its neighbour No. 83.

Of note in the interior were fittings incuding tessilated tiles, entrance screen, shutters to windows , rear conservatory, staircase, bathroom fittings, fireplaces and cornice plasterwork.

Building was demolished in 1999.