45 William Street is now largely a lost building. It was originally constructed in c.1850  as a three-storey townhouse, with three bay frontage of slight asymmetrical design with five chimney pots on the western gable.

Over the years the premises had been used for mixed commercial and residential use. In the 1860s the builder Robert McConnell is listed as the occupier, before the premises was then taken over in 1876 by John Long, who operated a plumbing and gas engineering business from the site.  John played an active part in civic life in Lurgan and was also the superintendent of the Lurgan Fire Brigade.

Following John’s death in 1906 the premises was occupied by his sons William and George, until the premises was then taken over by Edward Pedlow in 1932 who ran a cycle business from the house until the mid-1940s.  Later businesses who occupied the site include Ben Brown’s building merchants business during the 1950s; McBride’s car shop in the 1960s and 1970s and Michael McKeown solicitor’s practice.

The building fell into dereliction during the mid-2000s and progressively deteriorated with façade windows and entrance to ground floor blocked-up with cement blocks. Partial demolition of the roof, chimneys and removal of the second floor were carried out to make the building safe following concerns over its structural stability in 2014.

45 William Street was designated a high priority project in the Lurgan Townscape Heritage (Lurgan TH) scheme due to the detrimental impact the current state of the building was having to the streetscape.

Happily 45 William Street Ltd., with the support of the Lurgan TH scheme, intend to reconstruct the building to bring the site back into daily use, which will reinstate the streetscape and complement the restoration projects work taking place at neighbouring 47, 49 and 51 William Street.

Under plans drawn up by Ballymullan Architect Ltd., the building will be completed to shell and core stage under this phase of works, supported by the Lurgan TH. As part of this phase of works the building will be reconstructed (reinstatement of walls, roof, floors) with surviving historic fabric incorporated. Once the building is completed to shell and core stage in this phase, 45 William Street Ltd. in phase 2 (funded under their own resources) intend to fit-out the ground floor as a retail unit with the first and second floors fitted out as apartments (one per floor).