79 Main Street, Moira, Craigavon, Co. Armagh, BT67 0LH

A two-storey mid-terrace townhouse built around 1735 in the Georgian style, situated on Main Street in Moira. The building occupies a square plan form with a basement and attic. It is the third property in a historic terrace of numbers 77 to 101 Main Street, which together form a group of considerable heritage value. The building makes a positive contribution to the character of Moira village.

The roofing is pitched natural slate with clay ridge tiles and a clipped verge to the left side. Cast iron rainwater goods feature semi-circular guttering and circular downpipes painted blue, shared with the adjoining property, with some uPVC additions to the rear. A red brick chimney stack with clay pots rises above. Two modern roof lights have been added to the rear pitch.

The walls are constructed of random rubble basalt stone with decorative galletting to the principal elevation. The ground floor windows are topped with one-and-a-half red brick flat arches with banding between them. The rear facade is similarly built of random rubble basalt stone with matching head details.

The windows are single-glazed 6/6 timber sliding box sash windows in the Georgian style, painted white with black boxes and no horns. Large rectangular stone cills are painted black to the front facade and green to the rear. The main entrance is a six-panelled timber door painted black with brass ironmongery, set within a white-painted frame topped by a fixed light with horizontal lattice-arranged timber glazing bars. A modern timber glazed door serves the rear entrance.

The principal elevation faces north and is asymmetrically arranged, with the entrance positioned to the right side. Two windows occupy the ground floor to the centre and left, with three windows directly above at first-floor level. The left gable adjoins number 81 Main Street. The rear elevation contains five window openings of varying sizes and head and cill levels, including one 1/1 single-glazed timber sliding sash adjacent to the rear door. A half-height timber sheet door provides access to basement level. The rear door is reached via steps constructed from brick and stone. The right gable abuts number 77 Main Street. The building faces directly onto the principal road through Moira with direct entrance from the footpath. Access to the rear is via the coach access of the neighbouring property.

The interior retains an original vernacular-style dog leg stair, timber roof structure, and fine joinery work, particularly in the window shutter boxes. The building has retained most of its original authenticity.

Built around 1735 during the early development of Moira, largely credited to the Rawdon family (Rudd). The completion date of the village is locally recognised by a date stone of 1735 on the terrace opposite. Ordnance Survey maps of 1833 and 1858 show the property with outbuildings and formal gardens to the rear, neither of which now remain. Annual Revisions from 1866 to 1878 record Sir Thomas Bateson, owner of Moira Demesne (who purchased from the Rawdon family in 1800), as landlord. At that time the building was numbered as 130 Town of Moira and included what is now recognised as numbers 79 and 81 Main Street. From 1867, the McDowell family occupied the property until 1894, when Robert McDowell sub-divided the dwelling, including the outhouses, into five individual premises. McDowell became the immediate lessor, collecting rent from four other occupiers while living in one of the outbuildings and paying rent to Sir Thomas Bateson's successor, Lord Deramore. In the Rateable Valuation Binders of 1933 to 1957, number 79 was described as a good house fitted with electric light. From 1933 the Kennedy family occupied the dwelling until 1976, when it was vacated. The building remained vacant for approximately ten years before Hearth Housing Association restored it in 1987. Since then it has been owned by a local resident and has undergone various commercial and residential uses. It was vacant at the time of survey in 2010.