Moira Railway Station, Station Road, Moira, Co. Down

Moira Railway Station is a single-storey building over a semi-basement, built between 1839 and 1842 in an understated Italianate style. It was designed by John Godwin, the Ulster Railway Company's Resident Engineer, and sits on the south, or 'up' (towards Dublin), platform of the Belfast to Dublin railway line. The line was constructed by William Dargan under Godwin's direction, with the Belfast to Lisburn section opening in August 1839 and reaching Lurgan in November 1841. This station is the only surviving building constructed by the Ulster Railway Company and the earliest surviving station building in the province, making it of national historic importance. It contrasts in character with the High Victorian idiom of the original Ulster Railway terminus at Great Victoria Street, Belfast (since demolished) and with the late 19th century brick rebuild at Lisburn Station.

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The building is double-pile in plan and aligned east to west on the platform. The pile fronting the platform comprises five structural bays, and the shorter rear pile has two bays. A single-bay, flat-roofed toilet return projects at the west end of the rear pile, accessed by a passage running around the east end of both piles. Both piles have hipped natural slate roofs with oversailing boxed eaves, ogee cast-metal gutters and downpipes. Two rendered chimneys with bracketed copings rise from between the two piles.

The walls are rendered random rubble with shallow pilasters at all corners and to the platform (north) elevation. The render is block-lined to all elevations except along the platform frontage.

The principal facade faces north onto the platform and is largely symmetrical, save for the left-hand end. It carries two string courses across its full width at window level and features alternate doors and windows. The two doorways have double-leaf two-panel doors with semicircular overlights (now sheeted over) and smooth-rendered stucco architraves. The windows are one-over-four-paned timber frames with semicircular heads (the second pane down opens in each case) and have similar rendered surrounds including cills; all are now fitted with metal security grilles. The middle windows of this facade are paired. Just to the left of the window nearest the west end, a Victorian letterbox is recessed into the wall and remains in use. A projecting canopy across the platform frontage was probably an original feature but has since been removed.

Only the upper portions of the other elevations are now visible, the ground having been raised on three sides, obscuring the semi-basement. Two string courses run along the lower part of the section level with the platform, with round-ended rectangular stucco panels between them, except on the east elevation where only the two string courses appear. The east elevation of the front pile is otherwise blank, and the paired windows on the rear pile have been rendered over. An open balcony runs in front of the rear (south) pile. At the base of the right-hand end, a section of wall has been deliberately left unrendered to expose the underlying random rubble stonework.

The south elevation has no openings except for a narrow slit vent, now infilled, to the ladies' toilet at the left. Originally, semicircular openings at basement level provided light and access to the station master's accommodation. The west elevation has paired windows to the gables of both piles, detailed to match the platform facade, together with a small slit vent to the toilet at right.

INTERIOR

Internally, the building retains its original room configuration, with separate public and official spaces arranged on the ground floor and the station master's accommodation originally in the basement. A good amount of historic detailing survives throughout.

SETTING AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES

The station's overall character is diminished somewhat by the raising of the external ground level to the south, which obscures the basement on three sides. This work was carried out in the relatively recent past to form a car park. Drawings and photographs by W.A. McCutcheon taken in the 1960s record the station's external appearance before this change.

Immediately in front of the public entrance on the platform stands a modern signal light gantry. On the opposite, 'down' (towards Belfast) platform is a small timber mono-pitched cabin-like waiting room, also of special interest. In the car park to the east of the station building stands a relocated signal cabin of approximately 1890, originally adjoining the level crossing before the crossing was automated in 1984; it now sits on a concrete-block base. Beyond the signal cabin is a brick-arched field accommodation bridge and drainage culvert passing under the railway line. On the opposite side of the line, the area now occupied by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency Works Depot was formerly the goods yard. A metal-clad goods shed and jib crane both survive here, though the actual sidings have been lifted. A short distance to the north-west is the later 19th century station master's house, and a basalt railway bridge is located due west crossing the Lagan canal.

The station building, waiting room, signal box, walling and crane together form a unique collection of railway structures of considerable industrial archaeological interest. The station's interest is further enhanced by its contextual association with the still-operational platforms and underbridge.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The station is captioned as Moira Railway Station on the 1858 Ordnance Survey six-inch map and on subsequent editions. The 1862 Griffith Valuation describes the premises as 'Station house and offices', all rated at £10. The station master was originally accommodated in the basement but moved in the 1880s to a purpose-built house on the opposite side of the track, designed by W.H. Mills, Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). The Ulster Railway Company became part of the Great Northern Railway Company (Ireland) in 1876. The Ulster Transport Authority took over operations in 1958, followed by Northern Ireland Railways in 1968, and Translink is now responsible for operating the line. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency maintains the station building from its nearby Works Depot. Although the station building became surplus to the railway company's operational requirements, the platforms remain in use for commuter traffic, and the building is open to the public on request and on European Heritage Open Days.