54 Loy Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a rendered terraced two-storey former house, built c. 1880. The building is rectangular in plan. It has a two-storey pitched roof return to the rear. The house forms part of a mixed terrace of similar scale, along the Eastern side of Loy Street.

The front West elevation is set back from the street, with a tarmac parking area open to the pavement. The ground floor has a doorway to the left and a square-headed window to the right. The doorway is elliptical-headed with a panelled timber doorway. It has a two panelled pilasters to the sides set on cut-stone pad stones. The door is surmounted by a carved stone surround with a decorative vermiculated carved keystone. There is a projecting carved timber cornice at springer level.
The window is square-headed, with cut-stone sills and 2/2 timber sash windows.
The upper level has two timber sash windows, as previous.

The rear East elevation has three storeys. This is created by a split lower level within the building. It has timber sash windows, and replacement uPVC windows.

The front elevation has plain painted render and this rests on a shallow rendered plinth.. There is a carved stone dentilled course at eaves level supporting an eaves course. The rear elevation is unpainted cement render. The roof is artificial slate, with a polychromatic brick chimney with profiled capping. Rainwater goods are cast-iron to the front elevation and uPVC to rear.

Return:
The return also has replacement uPVC windows.

Both roofs are artificial slate, with a polychromatic brick chimney with profiled capping to the main roof. Rainwater goods are cast-iron to the front elevation and uPVC to rear.

Setting:
The house maintains a common building line from the main street, through William Street, James Street, Loy Street and beyond. The former front garden is now tarmac and in use as a parking area. The street is largely comprised of modest scale two-storey houses. There is a small yard to the rear with a rubble stone wall. The rear faces onto several outbuildings.

Historical information

This site shown developed on 1st edition OS map of 1833-34. In the c.1838 modification to the valuation of January 1835, (carried out in consequence of the raising of the rateable threshold from £3 to £5 in 1838), the site of the present building was noted as occupied by one of ‘thirty-five houses exempt’- i.e. relatively modest buildings below rateable value. Most of these dwellings appear to have been recorded in 1834, but unfortunately the town plan to accompany this was scrapped and re-drawn in c.1838 with new
references. It is, therefore, almost impossible to try and equate what is shown on the ‘new’ c.1838 plan with the building details recorded in 1834.

The modest house exempt from valuation in 1838, was undoubtedly still standing in 1859, for a house -then occupied by a Henry Purvis and still below rateable value- is recorded n the valuation of that year. This house stood until 1880, when it and its two neighbours to the north and south were demolished and replaced by the short terrace we see today (nos.52-58 HB09/13/006A-C). This new development appears to have been the work of a James Howard*, who acquired the lease of the entire site from the Gunning-Moore estate in 1879. The first occupant of no.54 was a Daniel Gatens, with the rateable value £9-10-0. Gatens was succeeded by a Robert Dickson in 1882, with John Gilmore replacing him in 1885. From 1887 the building appears to have acted as a parochial house or possibly a curate’s residence, for the RC church opposite, for a Rev. Peter Kerley is noted as resident in that year, followed by a Rev. John Rock (1889), Rev. Owen McEleavy (1894). In 1907, (the building of the present parochial house in Convent Road) the property was given up by the church and became the home of a Mrs. E.M. Lewis. In 1910 a John W. Manson is listed as the tenant, followed by a James Seawright in 1913, George Lawless (1916), Jane Howard (1918), and George Ferguson in 1921.

In 1922 the lease of the property was acquired (or passed to) a Dawson McAllister, and the following year an Arthur Gourley became the occupant, followed by a Rachel McKinney in 1938. The lease was taken on by John and George A. Ferguson in 1944, with the former listed as the occupier in 1949, and freeholder in 1962. Mr. Ferguson was still occupying the property in 1972.

*The leaseholder’s name was initially written as James Steward, but later changed to James Howard. It is not known whether this change signifies an actual change in the identity of the leaseholder, or whether his name was wrongly recorded. The latter appears more likely.

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/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
24 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
25 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
26 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
27 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
28 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
29 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
30 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
31 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
32 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
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A modest house, representing those typical of this late Victorian era in Cookstown. It is well-proportioned and retains much of its original character.

It has been subject to replacement windows, however most of the external fabric is largely intact. Although quite modest, the door surround and the dentilled eaves course adds some sense of importance to the overall composition. The internal layout has been largely retained, allowing an understanding of the simple Victorian townhouse plan, prior to its change of use. Collectively, the scale and proportions reflect the surrounding buildings, and it has character and group value along with the adjacent buildings.

This was built in conjunction with the adjacent HB09/13/006A & C..