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

A Grade B2 two-storey Georgian townhouse built around 1735, located on Main Street in Moira, County Armagh. The building forms part of a significant historic terrace (nos. 77–101 Main Street) and sits adjacent to the larger townhouse at no. 87, with which it shares a roof line and contributes to the group value of this section of the street.

The building is mid-terrace with an L-shaped plan, comprising a basement, ground and first floors, an attic, and a two-storey return to the rear. It faces north onto the principal thoroughfare through Moira and is positioned between nos. 87 and 91–93 Main Street.

The exterior retains strong Georgian character despite 19th-century alterations. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with clay ridge tiles and a clipped verge to the left. Cast-iron rainwater goods with semi-circular guttering and circular downpipes painted black serve the main building, with extruded metal and uPVC goods on the rear and extension. The principal façade is rendered in natural-finish roughcast with a smooth rendered plinth, quoins, surrounds and banding, all painted off-white. The rear elevation is finished in smooth render, while the return section displays self-finished roughcast.

The front elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The entrance—a six-panelled timber door with cast-iron ironmongery and a decoratively arranged horizontal lattice-glazed fixed light above—sits on the left side and is accessed by steps running parallel to the façade with a metal handrail. Two matching windows occupy the right of the door at ground floor, with three windows uniformly arranged above. All windows are single-glazed 6/6 Georgian timber sliding box sash windows with horns, painted white, set in large rectangular stone cills with continuous banding between the cills at ground and first-floor levels. The windows to the original rear elevation match the front; extension windows are generally smaller 4/4 timber sliding sash with pre-cast concrete cills. The wall finish surrounding the right-hand ground-floor window differs noticeably from the rest of the façade, marking the location of an original coach entrance. The left gable faces east and abuts no. 91–93 Main Street. The rear elevation, facing south, has a subservient two-storey single-bay modern gable-ended return to the right. The right gable faces west and abuts no. 89 Main Street. The building opens directly onto the main road via concrete steps and metal railings (20th century). A large rear unfinished yard, shared by multiple owners, is accessed via the coach entrance at no. 95 Main Street.

The building is constructed within a conservation area and retains special character externally despite significant internal alterations and the loss of most original interior fabric.

Historically, 89 Main Street was built during the early development of Moira, credited to the Rawdon family. The village's transformation from mud and clay dwellings to stone and brick structures is marked by a date stone on a neighbouring building bearing 1735. In 1744, Harris described Moira as "a well laid out and thriving village consisting of one broad street inhabited by many traders many of whom carry on linen manufacture to good advantage." The building appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833 as part of the long terrace stretching from the Courthouse to St John's Parish Church, illustrated with a large formal garden to the rear, which no longer survives.

The Annual Revisions valuation of 1866–78 recorded the premises as a house with outbuildings and garden. By 1868, it was occupied by Sir Thomas Bateson, who also owned Moira Demesne. The Bateson family remained associated with the building, though not necessarily resident, until 1939, when the Revaluation Binders record tenancy passing to the Board of Guardians of Lurgan Union, with Lord Deramore as landlord. Wm L Morwood took over the tenancy shortly after and converted the building back into a dwelling house. The Morwood family remained in occupation until 1987. During their tenancy, the original coach entrance—as shown on Revaluation Binder plans—was incorporated internally to maximise ground-floor space, a conversion evidenced by repair records. In the early 1990s, during a period of widespread restoration of terrace buildings in Moira, no. 89 was converted into offices and studios. The two-storey return to the rear was likely added during this restorative work. The building currently functions as offices.

The loss of internal original fabric and the obstruction of the historic coach entrance detract from the building's historical completeness, yet it retains its external Georgian proportions and makes a positive contribution to the heritage and character of Main Street.