7 Main Street, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OEP

This is a well-maintained row of three terraced houses dating from the early 20th century, situated on the south side of Main Street in Limavady. They contribute positively to the streetscape.

The terrace is constructed of brick under slate roofs, with each house featuring a roof light and brick chimneys. The houses are flanked by lower two-storey rendered buildings and a three-storey Georgian terrace. Each house has a front door on the northeast side, above which is a rectangular fanlight window. Two two-pane sash windows are located to the southwest of the front door, with matching windows directly above. Bands of blue brick run between the window and fanlight heads on the ground floor, and between the first-floor windows. Each opening is finished with a blue brick keystone. A continuous decorated brick cornice supports an ogee gutter at eaves level. To the rear, each building has a small return with a lean-to slate roof. All rear sash windows are four-pane. The return to number 11 is rendered and slightly enlarged, aligning with the back of the adjacent, wider Georgian house.

Historical records indicate that thatched houses previously occupied the site. An 1830 Ordnance Survey map shows the former location of the thatch, and the 1848 Ordnance Survey map notes that the rear yard was held ‘in common’ with houses on Linenhall Street. The terraced row was built by the grandfather of the current owner of number 11, and the property remains in family ownership. A photograph depicting the thatched houses from before 1904 is included in “Limavady and the Roe Valley” by Rev T H Mullin.

The architectural merits of the terrace include its style, proportions, ornamentation, and overall plan form. The buildings also hold local historical interest.