91-93 Main Street, Moira, Craigavon, Co. Armagh, BT67 0LH

A pair of Georgian townhouses built c.1735, located on the northern end of Moira Main Street. Originally constructed as two individual two-storey single-bay mid-terrace dwellings, they were subsequently converted into a single premises during the early 19th century through the introduction of openings in the party wall at ground and first floor levels. The building retains its Georgian style and proportions, along with most external details in good condition, and makes a positive contribution to the heritage of Moira as part of the historic terrace comprising numbers 77-101 Main Street.

The rectangular-plan building features a pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles and two brick chimneys with lead flashing over the left-hand side party wall and centrally located. The rainwater goods comprise a mixture of cast iron ogee gutters fixed to single corbelled stone eaves detail, with replacement extruded metal circular downpipes painted black.

The principal façade faces north and is finished in roughcast render painted off-white, with smooth render plinth, quoins, bands and surrounds painted black. The façade retains the characteristics of two individual townhouses arranged asymmetrically. The front door of the former number 91 Main Street is offset to the right-hand side with a ground floor window to the left and a single window to the first floor located centrally. The front door of number 93 is also offset to the right-hand side with a ground floor window to the left and two windows to the first floor located over ground floor openings. Quoins flank either side identifying them as a pair. Continuous rendered bands run across the façade at cill level with matching surrounds decorated with an applied profile and a small diamond-shaped roughcast detail centrally located in each window head. Modern aluminium fascia signage is located above the ground floor windows.

The windows are 6/6 timber sliding box sash with horns, painted white, with rectangular flat stone cills painted white to ground floor and black to first floor. The principal entrance door is a six-panelled timber door with the top four panels glazed, painted black, with a four-paned fixed light over and modern brass ironmongery. The redundant front door of the former number 91 Main Street is a six-panelled timber door with a four-paned fixed light over featuring cast-iron ironmongery. The rear doors are covered with galvanised metal sheets.

The rear elevation faces south and is finished in naturally finished random rubble basalt with red brick 1½ flat arches over window and door openings, with some sections of wall infilled with further red brick. This elevation retains both rear doors and windows to the two individual buildings, arranged asymmetrically with varying sized openings to ground, first and attic levels. The left gable abuts the adjoining terrace building number 95, whilst the right gable abuts number 89. The building faces directly onto Main Street and is accessed via the associated footpath mid-terrace. To the rear a large unfinished yard exists serving a number of properties and is accessed via a coach entrance at number 95 Main Street.

The building was constructed during the early development of Moira, forming part of the two-storey Georgian terraces which line Main Street. This development from mud and clay dwellings to stone and brick buildings is credited to the Rawdon family, with widely accepted tradition that the completion of the village is inscribed on a date stone on a neighbouring building bearing the date 1735. The earliest Ordnance Survey maps from 1833 show the buildings as part of a continuous terrace running from the Courthouse to St Johns Parish, with large formal gardens to the rear. Annual Revision valuations from 1866-78 record the buildings as numbers 135 and 136 of the town of Moira, both valued as houses with gardens, though by 1858 the Ordnance Survey maps indicate the formal gardens were no longer maintained. Both premises were occupied by successive tenants until 1883 when Reverend John Berkeley became tenant of number 135 and subsequently established the town's Reading Room. By 1933, the Rateable Value Binders recorded both buildings in poor condition with no modern conveniences.

Despite alterations to the interior planform resulting in loss of much internal architectural and historical features, the building retains an internal vernacular-style staircase which was relocated following the alterations to the original internal layout. Externally, the building still offers the characteristics of two individual townhouses with most details intact and in good condition. The building is an integral part of and has group value with the historic terrace and operates as an office premises.