83 Main Street, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OEP

A high Victorian terraced town house, built in the 1880s as one of two substantial houses erected on Main Street in Limavady following the demolition of earlier properties. Designed by architect W J Given and built by contractor J S Brolly for Henry Connell, who purchased six thatched houses and four acres of ground in 1883 and replaced them with these two commodious residences adjoining his and his brother John's business premises.

The building was a two-storey structure with a steeply sloping slate roof and large modelled brick chimneys with seven pots on each end of the ridge. Three windows wide, it was notably smaller than its neighbour number 81, with which it formed an interesting group on the north-east end of Main Street, facing north-west.

The principal facade displayed high-quality Victorian ornamental detailing. The entrance door, positioned at the south-west end, had a semi-circular plain fanlight and keystone, flanked by two pilasters rising to break the frieze of a continuous entablature above. A similar pilaster marked the north-east end. Ground floor windows were two-pane sashes with filleted heads and architraves; the plinth of the pilasters aligned with a string course joining the window cills. First-floor windows had rectangular heads, architraves and keystones, with cills forming another string course. The eaves were supported by a cornice, and coursed plasterwork formed the facing walls.

The rear elevation was rendered in sand and cement, with a two-storey pitched return projecting rearward and a two-storey bay window with sand-cement cornice detail projecting to the north-east. Two-storey brick stables stood to the rear of the site, fitted with a strap wrought-iron gate.

The interior contained high-quality fittings of note: an entrance screen, window shutters, stained glass in the bay window, a notable staircase, bathroom fittings, fireplaces, and cornice plasterwork. The plaster in the upper room was reputed to be the work of a travelling Italian plasterer.

The house was occupied by William Bingham, an Edwardian, who became part of local folklore; he and his granddaughter were said to haunt the building, walking from the front room to the back and up the stairs. In the late 1970s, Tweedy Acheson's business purchased the property and operated it as a ladies' fashion shop until 1998. Plans to convert the building into offices and a coffee shop were shelved due to a substantial business rate rise. The building was demolished in late 1999 to make way for a supermarket.