63 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Terraced three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1735 and possibly remodelled in the later eighteenth century. Rectangular on plan facing north with lean-to extension to rear. Rear yard developed as beer garden to adjoining property No.61.

Pitched natural slate roof, black clay ridge tiles and rendered chimneystack to either end. Cast-iron guttering on replacement drive-through brackets to rendered eaves and cast-iron downpipe (earlier iron brackets still remain). Painted ruled and lined rendered walling, rough-cast to rear. Square-headed window openings, painted masonry sills and original 6/6 timber sash windows with semi-exposed sash boxes and no horns.

Symmetrical three-bay front elevation with three-centred door opening with original decorative doorcase. Replacement timber panelled door flanked by two pairs of part engaged Ionic columns and slender plain sidelights, supporting lintel architrave and decorative curvilinear fanlight with moulded archivolt and single scrolled console brackets. Door opens onto flush sandstone step to the pavement. Continuous sill course to ground floor windows and moulded plinth course below.

East elevation abutted by adjoining house No. 65.

Rear elevation has random arrangement of replacement window openings of different sizes with replacement timber casement windows. Rough-cast render over brick walling with plastic rainwater goods to timber fascia. Corrugated iron roof to lean-to extension with timber casement windows and timber glazed door.

Rear yard enclosed by salvaged stone and brick wall set at an angle with timber gates, as part of the beer garden to adjoining building, No.61.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Painted render
Windows Original 6/6 timber sash

Historical information

It is possible to date this building as early as c.1735 during the town’s early development from largely agricultural buildings to Georgian stone and brick townhouses, credited to the Rawdon family who owned the Moira Demesne during this period (Rudd), however the detailing appears to be of a later period c.1770; possibly a remodelling of the orginal early Georgian townhouse.

The house appears on the early OS maps from 1833, as a mid terrace dwelling with large formal gardens to the rear. Like most of the properties in Moira, which seemed to have these large gardens during this period, they appeared to have gone by the time of the second edition maps in 1858.

The annual revisions 1866-29 record that the Millis family occupied the house which had stores and outbuildings to the rear. The whole property was valued at £40.0.0 however the main house was vacated in 1879 owning to bad repair. The outbuildings continued in use and in 1884 where separately valued at £24.0.0.

The house remained vacant until the Reynolds family took up the tenancy in 1907. By this stage much of the outbuildings had also fallen into disrepair. Following several other short stay tenants, James Armstrong took up the tenancy for the house and all the outbuildings. By 1935 the R.V. Binders records the landlord as John Bateman, who was also landlord of the adjoining public house. The valuers noted: “Very old house in bad repairs. Stores at the rear where formerly used as corn mill…” Following an appeal at the first valuation of the property by the landlord, the subsequent inspection notes following building uses: “13.6.35 – these premises consist of a large old dwelling house in Moira village with very extensive stores at rear used by occupiers in connection with a fowl business…the buildings to the rear formerly comprised of a flour mill…” The value of the building was reduced to £32 from £36.

In 1950 the R.V.Binders valuation had made a second inspection on the property at which stage William Kennedy was the occupier. The property was valued as a house with outbuildings and a garden and the following comments were made: 7.11.50 – this is a very large terrace house in Moira…containing hall, 2 receptions, scullery, 4 bedrooms, wc, septic tank. There is no water supply – water comes from village pump (even for flush wc) extensive derelict buildings in ruins to the rear. General condition very poor.” The value was subsequently reduced to £20.

References – Primary sources

1. PRONI VAL/1B/347 – Townland Valuation 1828-40
2. PRONI VAL/1A/3/13 – Field Map c.1830
3. PRONI VAL/2B/3/47A – Griffiths Valuation 1864
4. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7A – Annual Revisions 1866-78
5. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7B – Annual Revisions 1878-93
6. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7C – Annual Revisions 1894-08
7. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7D – Annual Revisions 1909-20
8. PRONI VAL/12B/21/7E – Annual Revisions 1920-29
9. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13A – Field Map 1863-79
10. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13C – Field Map 1895-14
11. PRONI VAL/12D/3/13E – Field Map 1925-35
12. PRONI VAL/12E – Field Map 1906-35
13. PRONI VAL/3D/4/12F/3 – R.V. Binders 1933-57

References – Secondary sources

14. Rudd, Canon CRJ - “Moira – A Historical Handbook” - Plantation Press Lisburn 674530 and Moira 619759 Undated

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A three-bay two-storey Georgian townhouse built c.1735 and remodelled during the following century. This early 18th century house has retained much original fabric to the exterior and to the interior. Timber sash windows and decorative doorcase add interest while the replacement front door conceals an intact eighteenth-century interior and A-frame timber roof structure with some nineteenth-century replacements, such as flat-panelled window linings and moulded architraves and skirting. The building, being part of a terrace in the centre of the village set back from the main road, has group value with the other historic houses on this block, including no. 65 Main St. (HB19/22/039).