Drummond Hotel, 481 Clooney Road, Ballykelly, Co Londonderry, BT49 9HP

This is a late Georgian, neo-classical house, now operating as a hotel, situated on Clooney Road, Ballykelly, County Londonderry. Built between 1826 and 1828, it was originally commissioned by the Fishmongers’ Company for their agent, with the project costing £4,000. The architect was Richard Suitor of London, and the builder was James Turnbull of Ballykelly. The house occupies a site east of Ballykelly, adjacent to the Presbyterian church, originally situated on a slight eminence with views of Lough Foyle and the Inishowen Mountains.

The original house is a two-storey building, three bays wide, and symmetrically planned. It features a projecting, neo-classical portico with two Tuscan order columns supporting a frieze and cornice above a flat roof. The windows originally had segmental heads with flat stone architraves, but have been replaced with PVC casements and top-hung vents. One window has been removed and replaced with double French doors. The corners are defined with clasping pilasters, and a simple frieze band runs beneath the eaves. The walls are finished with smooth render and painted and have a plinth aligning with the ground floor window sills. The roof is double-pitched, hipped, with a central valley, and generous eaves overhang. An asbestos slate covering is present.

Further extensions and alterations, described as unsympathetic, have significantly altered the original setting and the interior. A small party room was added by Turnbull in 1832. Within the building is a sculpted coat of arms belonging to the Fishmongers’ Company, originally from the dispensary at the west end of the village. Original designs for the house date from 1821 and underwent several revisions before approval in 1824.