The Salmon Leap, 53 Castleroe Road, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT51 3RL

The Salmon Leap is a two-storey public house of mid-19th century date, standing on a rural roadside site in Ballyness with direct frontage onto the main road and views across to the River Bann. The building occupies a location with a long association with hospitality use, with references to a tavern at the site dating to the 1790s and possibly earlier, though the structure as it now stands reveals no architectural evidence predating the mid-19th century.

The principal block is slated and gabled with smooth cement rendering painted throughout. The roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with oversailing eaves supported on shaped brackets—the most architecturally distinctive original feature—and has plain block cornices with modern stubs. Two rendered chimneys with cement finish sit one on each gable. The walling is plain rendered and painted with raised vertical strips at the extremities and a plain projecting plinth.

The north-east facing entrance elevation is two-storey. The ground floor contains a central entrance of two-leaf modern timber panelled doors surmounted by a rectangular single-pane fanlight in deep plain reveals. To the left are three windows: two rectangular timber sliding sashes, vertically hung 1 over 1 with horns, set in plain reveals with projecting stone or concrete cills and fitted with modern hinged iron mesh grilles; one is a later replacement rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent. To the right of the entrance are two windows: a wide 12-pane rectangular timber fixed light incorporating one Crown glass pane with a pair of two-pane top-hung vents above, and a 6-pane rectangular timber fixed light with a 2-pane top-hung vent. Seven windows to the first floor are rectangular timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, with horns. The modern plastic signage 'The Salmon Leap' and circular advertising signs are affixed at ground floor level.

The right-hand gable is two-storey with an attic storey, smooth rendered and lined with plain projecting plinth and smooth rendered verges. It contains one window to each storey to the front portion: a ground floor 6-pane rectangular timber fixed light with 2-pane top-hung vent fitted with a modern steel grille; first floor and attic windows are both rectangular timber sliding sashes 1 over 1 with horns. A cement rendered wall forming the boundary to the adjacent property abuts the gable at ground floor level. Set back slightly to the right is a dash-finished rendered wall of the rear extension.

The left-hand gable is two-storey with an attic storey, rendered with roughcast, smooth rendered plinth and verges. Modern concrete exterior steps with roughcast rendered walls and smooth rendered coping rise as a dog-leg to first floor level, fitted with modern steel handrails. The attic contains two rectangular boarded-up window openings. The first floor contains a rectangular flush timber fire escape door. The ground floor has only a small modern fixed light with top-hung vent in the base of the exterior stairway. The original gable extends to the left-hand side with a plain wall roofed to a shallower pitch. A shallow single-storey rendered block with synthetic slate roof and pvc gutter projects from the ground floor of the rear return, with a pair of flush timber double doors set in a plain raised surround beneath a gablet.

The building has undergone successive alterations over time. The front block appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1830; a long rear return is shown on the 1849-50 map; a small rear extension appears on the 1967 map; and a much larger rear extension appears on the 1982 map. Extensive late 20th century additions to the rear are now visible, including a large single-storey modern pitched roof building forming additions to the restaurant, with a service yard beyond. The rear elevation shows the roof of the original front block in synthetic slates sweeping onto a shallower pitch, with later flat-roofed extensions above which appears wet dash rendered walling. Three rectangular modern pvc fixed lights with top-hung vents are set in plain reveals with projecting concrete cills, and two modern metal air-extraction units are mounted on the wall.

The building has lost most of its original exterior features and all of its original interior features through successive alterations. While it contributes to the general character of its roadside setting, it is not considered to be a building of special architectural or historic interest.

The site stands in an open rural area facing directly onto the main road with a footpath across its front. Views extend across the road to the River Bann and to The Cutts. Adjacent to the right is a two-storey house in its garden; to the left is an extensive car park belonging to the building. The front boundary to the car park is formed by a low modern rendered wall containing a small pedestrian opening and a large vehicular entrance.