Roe Mill House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

‘Millbank’ indicated on Ordnance Survey Maps.?

Two storey three structural bay double pile house facing due south perpendicular to Roemill Road. Two wide canted bays rising to eaves level flanking central entrance door with segmental fanlight and side lights. Brown dry dash render with flat sand cement string course and architraves around windows. Natural slate roof with decorative red ridge tile.Top hung PVC windows. Timber architrave and stub pilasters around entrance, glazing leaded.

East gables topped by rendered chimneys. Two aligning windows to rear of front pile step down to two aligning windows in rear pile with second at ground level near back.

Flat roofed extension from back of house. Three equally spaced windows to back of main house at first floor.

West elevation reveals back pile to be three metres thinner than front. A lean-to back porch sits in the recess. Each gable is topped by a rendered chimney. There are two aligning windows to rear of the front pile as on the east.

To the west the site falls steeply away as a garden to the site of the former Roe Mills (HB02/13/004).

Historical information

The Roe Mill ‘the residence of William Moody Esquire, is situated near the Deer Park, towards which the front of the house looks, commanding a beautiful view of it and the planting on the west side of the Roe in Roe Park demesne. It is a good house and was build in 1832. The rear of it was the drying house of a bleach mill which was exchanged for the present distillery in 1821. A very good orchard is attached to the house’. Ordnance Survey Memoirs 1833-5. The house was extended to the front between 1848 and 1907 forming the present double pile arrangement.

Before the First World War it was occupied by people called Irwin. After 1926 it was acquired by the Ritters of Roe Park along with the associated Mills (HB02/13/004) and lived in by one of the Major’s sons. It was bought by the present owners in the late 1980s. The house was renovated in 1993 and its render changed from grey paint. Windows were replaced, the red ridge tiles added to the roof and the kitchen extended.

References:

Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol 9 p.52.
Occupant (1998)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A nicely sited house with some fine interior spaces and a history of local interest to Limavady. Exterior has been renovated in a reasonably sympathetic manner but the PVC windows degrade its architectural quality beyond the point where listing could be considered.