Samuel Stirling Fountain, Main Street, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OEU

The Samuel Stirling Fountain is a late 19th or early 20th century granite memorial fountain of local historical interest, located on Main Street, Limavady. It is the only public memorial in the town, aside from the War Memorial on Catherine Street. The fountain marks the central focal point of the town and reflects the society of Limavady before World War One.

The fountain consists of a rusticated pink granite plinth supporting a drinking trough in front of a polished pink granite memorial. The memorial’s design is a simple aedicule in the Arts and Crafts style, with two crude Tuscan pilasters supporting an entablature with a curving head. Within the head is a low relief circle displaying the arms of Limavady, flanked by Celtic knotwork. An inscription in black granite dedicates the fountain to Samuel Stirling, born in 1838 and died in 1908, a former Town Commissioner and Town Councillor who demonstrated a commitment to Limavady. A copper pipe projects towards the trough.

Originally erected on Main Street, the fountain was moved to the west end of the street, near the market, after World War Two. It was replaced at this location in the 1980s. Originally, the fountain featured two drinking troughs: one for horses and a lower one for dogs; the dog trough is no longer present. The monument is set within a coloured sand/cement niche on the footpath.