1 Babington Terrace (And Garden Wall), Main St., Castlerock Co.Londonderry

A two-bay three-storey blackstone end-terrace house built circa 1860 on the south side of Main Street in Castlerock. Now in use as apartments. The building displays significant group value as one of four terraces that, together with the neighbouring Clifton Terrace, makes an important contribution to the historic character of Castlerock village.

The house has a square plan with a two-storey return and a right-angled annexe to the rear. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with raised verges, and a red-brick chimneystack with terracotta pots sits on both the main structure and rear return. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods are mounted on projecting eaves, though the fascia has been replaced with uPVC. The walls are built from uncoursed squared blackstone, with ruled-and-lined render to the east gable and smooth render to the return and annexe.

The north-facing principal elevation has two openings at each floor, with the ground-floor window positioned left of centre. To the left stands a round-headed doorcase containing a raised-and-fielded four-panel timber door beneath a plain fanlight, accessed by a single modern tiled step, all set within a painted brick surround. Windows throughout are replacement uPVC units in painted brick surrounds with projecting painted sills. The east gable is blank. The south elevation is partially obscured, but shows a window to the second floor right above the two-storey return, with four irregularly arranged openings to the east elevation. The gabled annexe abuts the south elevation of the return at a right angle, featuring a round-headed uPVC window to its east gable, a square-headed window, timber-battened door, and a modern up-and-over garage door to its south elevation. The west elevation is abutted by the adjoining building.

Recent refurbishment has resulted in the loss of historic fabric, particularly original fenestration, which detracts from the building's character. Replacement windows and uPVC fascia are later interventions. The property stands set back from Main Street with a paviour to the front, enclosed by a rubblestone garden wall that appears to have been rebuilt in the style of the original. A tarmacadamed alley to the east leads to a rear communal yard, and the southern boundary is marked by high modern metal fencing along the railway line.

Babington Terrace was built in 1862–1863 by developer Richard Babington and first appears on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1904. Castlerock developed as a seaside resort following the opening of a railway halt in 1853, promoted through the railway company's offer of cheap tickets to those who would build or purchase villas. The village grew on what had previously been open countryside, partly on estates belonging to the Clothworkers' Company. From 1860, Frederick William Porter served as architect to the Clothworkers' Company and may have designed the terrace as part of the Company's area development, though Sir Henry Hervey Bruce, the local landlord, also took a keen interest in Castlerock's growth and imposed requirements that all new building meet certain standards of quality and size.

The terrace first appears in valuation records as unfinished buildings in 1862. Numbers two, three, and four were completed in 1863, with number one following shortly after. Initially valued at £11 each and occupied by Richard Babington, the houses were subsequently leased to lodgers from Sir Henry Hervey Bruce, who purchased the Clothworkers' Company lands in the 1870s. The first recorded occupier of the present house was James Eakin, beginning in 1879, followed by Rosanna Eakin from 1893. In the 1890s the house's valuation increased to £15, and it appears from field inspection that a single-storey side extension may have been added at this time, or the increase may refer to an extension of the rear return. Rosanna Eakin was a widow who lived with her unmarried sister on investment income and kept a single domestic servant; the seven-room house was classified as second-class in the 1901 census. William Wallace, a relative of Rosanna Eakin, took over the house in 1914 and the property remained in the Wallace family until at least the 1950s. Valuer's notes from the 1930s record ground-floor accommodation comprising a reception room, kitchen, scullery, and pantry; the first floor contained five bedrooms, a bathroom, and WC; the second floor held three bedrooms and a WC. The attached return measured one-and-a-half storeys with a yard to the rear.

The terrace was listed in 1977. Late-1970s renovations addressed the roof, windows, and gutters, and the rubblestone garden wall, which had been removed, was reinstated. The property was converted into three flats in 2001.