Limavady Workhouse
Limavady Workhouse
Another interesting location is Limavady Workhouse, visually impressive and a hauntingly beautiful piece of architecture which dates back to 1842 when it opened its doors for the first time. It was built in response to the Irish Poor Law Act of 1838 created to relieve destitution of the poor. The Irish Act followed a similar Acts in England and Wales where Poor Law Unions were formed to set up workhouses in their areas. The Newtown Limavady Poor Union was formed in 1839 and covered an area of 240 square miles. The town dropped the Newtown from its title in 1870. The workhouse was designed by George Wilkinson who originated in Oxfordshire, he had been invited to Ireland in 1839 by the Poor Law Commission after building 24 workhouses in England.
In Ireland, he was given the task of designing 130 workhouses for the Poor Law Unions. He spent the next 11 years creating these, after which he designed railway stations in Ireland. The Limavady workhouse is one of the finest examples of his work in Ireland and well worth seeing. The workhouse accommodated 500 inmates, a fever hospital was added during the famine. There were three burial grounds, the last one was opened from 1841 and many of those buried here were famine victims, during the famine the numbers of inmates doubled. A memorial plaque marks the centre of the burial ground. The building is fabulous to see but the stories around the workhouse and the hardships endured are unbelievable compared to today’s support.
The workhouse was open right up to 1930 when the remaining inmates were transferred to Coleraine, the building then became the local hospital and from 1937 to 1997, the Roe Valley Hospital. Today it is occupied by the Limavady Community Development Initiative and you can get a guided tour around the building on request, within are some fascinating displays and stories relating to the life in and around the workhouse. There are also stories of hauntings and ghosts being seen in and around the site. Jimmy Curry, the blind fiddler who is credited with playing the lament that Jane Ross overheard, which later became the air ‘Danny Boy’ or ‘Londonderry Air’, in his later years lived and died in the workhouse. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Tamlaghtfinlagan Church at Ballykelly.