Restoration of three houses
encouraged others in the terrace
Moira is a village laid out along a main street which widens into
a long tree-lined square. It was largely redeveloped in the early
18th century by the Rawdon estate, which built stone and brick
houses in place of the earlier thatched mud cottages. The availability
of basalt and good local freestone resulted in what Harris described
in 1744 as a 'well laid out and thriving village consisting of
one broad street inhabited by many dealers who carry on linen
manufacture to good advantage'.
At the north end of the village, which is a conservation area,
a terrace of about a dozen houses between the courthouse and the
parish church had lain derelict since the mid sixties. Demolition
of a large portion was threatened in the early eighties, but was
averted by listing. In 1986 Hearth was able to agree the purchase
of three properties at the upper end of the terrace, and restoration
was set in hand. Negotiations to purchase the lower houses were
unsuccessful, but they have since been restored by others leading
to a marked revival in the village's appearance.
Although the houses were probably built around the same time,
all having early roof timbers and trusses, they are remarkably
varied in character. No.77, the largest, is stone-built but was
refaced in ornamental stucco in the mid 19th century; it has a
bedroom over the old carriageway entrance and has retained early
crown glass in a borrowed light off the staircase. No. 79 had
been pebble-dashed in recent years, but when this was stripped
off rubble stonework with brick soldier courses was revealed,
and this was made good and left exposed. Although this house had
suffered from extensive dry rot and structural problems, it also
contained the most original woodwork, and the staircase was rebuilt
using largely salvaged handrail and balustrades, and window shutters
were carefully reconstructed, as was the marble fireplace in the
main living room which had been badly damaged. No. 81 was built
of soft local brick which could not be re-exposed after stripping
of pebbledash, and it was roughcast; the back wall was badly buckled
and had to be rebuilt completely. Small local slates survived
which were used for re-roofing the front slope of the house, and
an original tall fireplace was uncovered in one of the ground
floor rooms, and restored.
Client: Hearth Revolving
Fund Architect: Hearth
Quantity Surveyor: McNeil Rainey & Best
Structural Engineer: Kirk McClure & Morton
Main Contractor: Roy Hanna, Lurgan
Restored: 1987
Accommodation: Two three-bedroom houses and one two-bedroom house
Assisted by loans and grants from: N I Housing Executive, Historic
Buildings Branch DoE, Northern Bank, Architectural Heritage Fund,
and own capital.
