Loy House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is an attached two-storey former dower house to Killymoon house, built c. 1830, possibly to the designs of John Nash. The house was originally built together with (HB09/13/002A) as one property, it is now divided into two.
HB09/13/002A is located to the North and HB09/13/002B is located to the South.

The house is roughly square in plan. There is a hipped two-storey return to the rear. The house is set back from Chapel Street within the Northern suburbs of Cookstown.

The front West elevation faces onto the road. The main doorway is located to the right. There are two windows to the left.
The main timber panelled doorway is square-headed with a fanlight over; it is set into an elliptical-headed recess.
Windows to the ground floor are square-headed 6/6 timber sash frames, set on cut-stone sills.
The upper levels have windows as previous. Classical proportions reduce to upper levels.

The rear East elevation has a timber and glazed double doorway to the ground level, with an overlight. There are four 1/1 timber sash windows to first floor. There are painted cut-stone sills to windows. There is a timber door to the right of the rear elevation with an overlight.

The main roof is hipped with artificial slate. There is a rendered chimney to the centre of the main roof. The rear elevation has a chimneystack with clay pots. There are replacement uPVC rainwater goods.

Returns:
The hipped two-storey return to the left of the rear elevation has an assortment of 1/1 timber sash frames and casement windows. There is a round-headed window to the right of the upper level. There are painted cut-stone sills to windows. There is a square-headed door to ground level.

Setting:
The house is set back from Chapel Street behind iron railings. There is a small garden to the front with a gated path leading to the entrance door. The rear yard is paved, and is bound by a high wall.
The house is set to the Northern side of the town centre at the beginning of the mainly Victorian suburban Chapel Street.

Historical information

This house and its neighbour to the north (no.80, HB09/13/002A) form what was originally a single dwelling, which is shown on 1st edition OS map of 1833-34. Known as ‘Loy House’, this property was one of the grandest (if not the grandest) property within Cookstown’s main street. According to the 1971 UAHS list of historic buildings in Cookstown, it was built to serve as the Stewart (of Killymoon) dower house, and was designed by John Nash; however no documentary evidence is produced to support either of these statements. The dower house idea appears plausible, particularly so given the size of the building and the fact that no Stewart dower house has come to light. The idea of Nash authorship, despite his having designed Killymoon Castle, (in 1803), and near by Derryloran parish church, (in 1822, but subsequently rebuilt), appears less certain; however the distinctly regency bowed bay –which probably originally housed the entrance- does suggest that the structure may at least be contemporary with Killymoon.

Pigot’s Directory of 1824 lists the occupant as Rev. Hugh Hamilton, so the property does not appear to have been acting as a dower house at that date. By November 1834, when the first valuation was carried out, a William Achmuty [?Auchtermuchty] was in residence. The valuers record the house as a relatively new building, which was constructed, to their knowledge or in their judgement, within the preceding thirty years or so; the dimensions for the main portion of the dwelling are given as 76ft x 39 x 19½, the ‘porch circular’ 10 x 8 x 19½, with a ‘return’ 13 x 6½ x 16, ‘offices’ of 110 x 20 x 16½, 18 x 17 x 5, 40 x 17 x 10½, 18 x 17 x 6, 45 x 18½ x 8½, a ‘gate house’ of 21 x 18½ x 8½, and ‘cellar offices’ of 11 x 39 x 8. The valuers tell us that the ‘house and field [were] under lease’, and the rateable value is noted as £46-8-6. The c.1838 modification to the valuation lists the rateable value as £30.

A William Fountain [?after whom near by Fountain Road is named] was living in Loy House when the first Slater’s Directory was compiled in 1846. Sometime between this date and the second valuation of 1859, the building was divided into two properties. This is likely to have occurred in or shortly after 1851, when the Stewart family’s Cookstown estate was sold. In 1859, this, the southern property, is recorded as the home of Henry Gunning, with Andrew Mulholland (the mill-0wner of Ballywalter Park Co. Down, who bought part of the Stewart estate in the aforementioned 1851 sale), the lessor, and the rateable value, £25. Henry Gunning was probably a relation of James Gunning, who, along with James Moore, also bought a large section of the Cookstown estate. He remained in residence until 1867, when a William A. Gunning is listed as the occupant. In 1875 an ‘addition’ is recorded as having been built, raising the rateable value to £32; the accompanying valuation map shows that this ‘addition’ was the return to the south end of the building. In 1878 William Gunning sublet the house to a Margaret Houston, who was sharing the property with an Elizabeth Houston by 1899. Margaret Houston is listed as the sole occupant again in 1910, with a Mary C. Rowan and Isabella Harper recorded in 1912 until 1916, when Mary C. Rowan alone is noted as the householder. She remained there until 1936, when a William McNeill is noted as resident. A Joseph Darragh succeeded McNeill in 1961, acquiring the freehold in 1962. The following year Thomas Darragh is recorded as the tenant, remaining there until at least 1972.

There is a sketch plan of the house included in 1899 entries in the valuers’ office notebook. It appears much as present, with the large L-shaped two-storey return / outbuilding to the rear; however, a square single-storey porch projection is shown covering the main entrance.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Pigot & Co's Provincial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1824)
2 PRONI OS/9/10/1 OS plan of Cookstown, 1833
3 PRONI VAL/1B/622A First valuation, Derryloran parish, 1834-c.1838
4 PRONI VAL/1D/6/2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, c.1838
5 Lewis, Samuel, ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland…’ vol.1, (London, 1837)
6 ‘Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1846)
7 PRONI VAL/2C/63 Second valuation, Union of Cookstown (Dublin, 1859) [This is the printed version of the second valuation. The handwritten version (which may have been more detailed and include property dimensions etc.) no longer exists. The printed volume merely provides names of tenants and leaseholders, and rateable values.]
8 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1860-63
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
13 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
16 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5J Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-94 [The reference number for this book is out of sequence in the
PRONI catalogue- the dates it covers are actually earlier than VAL/12B/37/5H.]
17 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
18 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
19 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
20 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
21 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
22 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
23 PRONI VAL/12A/6/11 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown Union, 1895-1900
24 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
25 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
26 PRONI VAL/12A/6/16 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown UD, 1901-10
27 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
28 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
29 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
30 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
31 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
32 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
33 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
34 PRONI VAL/4B/6/11 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.2E, 1956-72

Secondary sources
1 Oram, R.W. and Rankin, P.J., Historic buildings…Dungannon & Cookstown (Belfast, UAHS, 1971)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a well proportioned example of a late-Georgian town house. It began as a single dwelling together with the adjacent HB09/13/002A building, but is now is divided. When viewed together with the adjacent house they create a balanced symmetrical appearance and have group value. This house is enriched with a classical door opening. It is further enhanced by the presence of the adjoining bowed Regency bay (now belonging to HB09/13/002A). This may be a quite rare an example of an early nineteenth century dower house. Historically the house is important because of its connections with the Stewart family of Killymoon.