Redbrick Cottage, Aghanloo Road, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OH

A small, late Georgian redbrick cottage is situated on Aghanloo Road, Limavady, Co Londonderry. Built sometime between 1840 and 1859, it was not shown on a map of 1830 but appears on one from 1848. Originally constructed as a porter’s lodge, it later served as a working school for girls, taught by Jane Johnston, a Presbyterian servant to Mrs Smiley. Mrs Smiley’s husband, Mr Smiley, was the local rector, and the girls were instructed in housekeeping.

The cottage is characterised by its gabled form, a slated roof, and gable chimneys. It has three bays, with a central main entrance on the east gable, and a smaller entrance on the back return. Windows are a mix of two-light casements and narrow, vented openings. The roof is covered in large slates with thin barge boards fixed to exposed purlins. There is no fascia board, and the rafters are exposed, carrying gutters. The brickwork is solid, laid in a garden wall bond of four stretchers to a course of headers, with cut brick heads highlighted in red paint. Sandstone cills are present. The cottage is set on the edge of the avenue leading to Aghanloo House, and is surrounded by a neatly kept, simple garden.