Christ Church, Church of Ireland Parish Church (Drumachose), Main Street, Limavady, Co Londonderry BT49 0ET

Christ Church is a Church of Ireland parish church at Newtown Limavady, a notable example of how a late 17th-century church developed and expanded over more than 300 years while retaining its gothic planter character, despite extensive modifications during major renovation and restoration campaigns. The building has grown from a simple rectangular form into a relatively sophisticated cruciform structure with a transeptual plan. The graveyard, enclosing walls, entrance gates, stone piers and railings are integral to the building's visual context.

The church is a cruciform neo-gothic edifice with a nave, north and south transepts, a narrower east chancel, a west tower, and a separate vestry connected by a north porch to the transept. On either side of the chancel stands a former vestry and organ room. The walls are roughcast rendered externally with a natural slated roof; the ridges of the nave and transepts are at the same level, while the ridge over the chancel drops lower. The roof over the former vestry has a ridge parallel to the south transept, while the organ room roof is a lean-to sloping north. In the angle of the nave and north transept is a boiler room with external steps leading down to it.

The main entrance is in the south wall of the tower, which is of four stages, each stepping inwards slightly from the one below. The top stage or belfry finishes with simple crenellations. The main entrance is pointed with a moulded sandstone surround, double wooden doors and a tympanum filled in with wooden panelling. On the west side of the ground floor is a large oculus with a bold neo-classical circular surround featuring a keystone and the date 1881 at its base. The upper stages are punctuated with single openings with semi-circular heads, while the belfry has three semi-circular headed louvred openings on each face.

The nave is lit by three pointed windows on each side, each with two lights and sandstone trefoil and quatrefoil cusping. The south transept has one two-light similar window on each side, with a three-light pointed gable window with cusping and quatrefoil. The north transept has one two-light window on each side, but on the gable above the north porch is a rose window. The chancel east gable has a three-light pointed window, cusped with a sextet. Adjoining the north transept and connected to it by the north porch is a large choir vestry room containing toilets and a kitchenette, built in 1967, with a pitched roof and a series of two-light square-headed windows.

The church occupies a secluded site entered through iron gates and a screen of railings and piers near the eastern end of Main Street on the north side. There are six moulded neo-classical sandstone piers. The site widens with the church occupying the eastern corner, surrounded by numerous graves and mausolea of former parishioners. A wall of stone and red brick encloses the spaces, and beyond the east and north sides the ground falls away precipitously, allowing excellent views of Keady mountain, Benevenagh, Myroe and Lough Foyle.

Within the graveyard is the Beresford mausoleum of 1832, which much resembles the Cather vault in the old graveyard at Walworth, Ballykelly. It is a sturdy neo-classical ashlar-built sandstone structure with pediments and finely chiselled acroteria. The Conn vault is also worthy of note.

The history of the church site is uncertain, but the Visitation Book of 1693 records that "The church was anciently in the centre of the parish but was removed to Newtown Limavady before the troubles for the conveniency of the Town. It is not yet consecrated because George Phillips, on whose estate it stands, hath not made a conveyance of it to the Bishop which, with a plott for a house for the Minister in Newtown and a parke, is judged necessary by the Bishop before he consecrates it." The troubles referred to are assumed to be those of 1688 to 1689, and George Phillips was the grandson of Sir Thomas Phillips. The church was rebuilt in 1750 and originally consisted of a nave only. A gallery was added in 1824. The steeple and belfry were erected in 1765. The north transept was added in 1825 with a porch, making the church plan L-shaped.

When Reverend A. F. Smyly became rector in 1881, the church was completely renovated and the south transept and chancel were added. This work took place between 1880 and 1883 at a cost of £2,000, with the builder being Joseph Ballentine of Londonderry. The Bishop consecrated the church on 1 December 1881. Canon King, rector from 1904 to 1921, had the wood panelling in the chancel carried out and the decorative chancel arch executed, and most likely influenced the location and character of the war memorial. In 1967 a choir vestry was added to the north porch at a cost of £6,000 in memory of Canon White, rector from 1932 to 1963. The graveyard and grounds of the church were extended over the years from 1830 onwards to their present size. The parochial hall within the church grounds was built in 1969. In early 1970 the church was again restored.