Drumachose Old Church, Broad Road, Fruithill, Limavady, Co Londonderry

Drumachose Old Church is a very large medieval church situated in a prominent position on Broad Road at Fruithill, near Limavady, County Londonderry. The building is of considerable historical and architectural interest, with connections to the Drenagh Estate.

The church is aligned east-west parallel to Broad Road and now stands roofless and ruined. It occupies a prominence approximately 12 metres higher than the main road, surrounded by graves and trees. To the north lie the remains of the old coach road, with views across to the south facade of Drenagh House. An archaeological remains known as the 'Grey Stone' aligns in the foreground.

Both gables survive, though in varying states of preservation. The west gable is ruinous at high level, while the east gable remains largely intact. The east gable contains a large lancet window with the remains of cut sandstone jambs, with a slight batter visible in the wall below. The south wall is mostly gone to exterior ground level, which stands a metre and a half to two metres above the interior floor. The north wall remains with large gaps. The north elevation is constructed in rough ashlar. A window opening is visible near the east gable, and a small incised cross can be found on a nearby stone face. The remains of an entrance door are located further along near the west gable, though no trace of the door itself survives. The arrangement of stone suggests it may have been deliberately removed to another location. The west gable also contains a lancet window, smaller than that to the east, again with the remains of cut sandstone. An Ordnance Survey bench mark is near the south corner. Ground level rises sharply across the west gable, and little of note remains visible on the south elevation.

The church is believed to have been built on the site of an earlier foundation in the 13th century and is likely a Norman construction, which may explain its unusually large size. The patron saint, St Cainnech, was born in the neighbourhood. The building is mentioned in historical records from 1206 as 'Malpeter McCalmain corab of St Cannich of Keenaught'. The church remained in use until the plantation period, when settlers considered it too isolated and built a new church in their settlement of Newtown Limavady. According to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Cromwell is said to have blasted the south wall with his cannons during the Civil War period, and a 30-pound cannon ball was subsequently found nearby.

Following the plantation, maintenance of the church became the responsibility of the McCausland family following their ownership of the demesne. In the 1860s they caused the main road to be re-routed to the other side of the church and planted ivy for its protection. The presence of ashlar work on only the three sides facing Drenagh suggests possible beautification work undertaken in the 1860s, though no record of this exists.

The church is a Scheduled Monument (Ref: LDY10:1) and is recorded as currently derelict, with the graveyard remaining in use.