56-58 Loy Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a rendered end-of-terrace two-and-a-half-storey former house and office, built c. 188o, now derelict. The building is rectangular in plan. It has a two-storey pitched roof return to the rear, with an adjoining single-storey lean-to. 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 concrete parking area open to the pavement. The ground floor has a doorway to the left and a shopfront to the right, c. 1956. 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 carved keystone. There is a projecting carved timber cornice at springer level.

The shopfront has a doorway to the left and a shop window to the right. There are panelled pilasters to each opening supporting a decorative carved timber signboard. The door is glazed and panelled with overlight.

The upper level windows are square-headed, with cut-stone sills and 1/1 timber sliding sash frames.

The side South elevation is gable-ended, with the side of the return to the right. Windows to ground level have been boarded up. There are two timber sash windows to upper levels as before. A centrally positioned polychromatic brick chimney with clay chimney pots is set to the ridge line of the South elevation of the main terrace building.

The rear East elevation has three storeys (i.e. two stories over basement). There are no window openings visible beyond the return.

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 has an assortment of timber sliding sash and casement windows, with additional windows boarded up. A further centrally positioned polychromatic brick chimney with clay chimney pots is set to the ridge line of the South elevation of the return. The lean-to has a painted timber door.

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 concrete 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 houses exempt from valuation in 1838, were undoubtedly still standing in 1859, for two dwellings -then occupied by an Annie Crooks and Sarah Steenson respectively, and still below rateable value- are recorded as standing on this plot (one of the dwellings set to the rear) in the valuation of that year. These houses stood until 1880, when they and their two neighbours to the north 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 is recorded as the above James Howard, with the rateable value £13-10-0. Howard remained there until 1918, when a Samuel Purvis became tenant and leaseholder, followed by a George Ferguson in 1923. John and George A. Ferguson (the latter probably the same man who was occupying the building), took over the lease in 1944. John Ferguson is listed as resident in 1956, with no.58 recorded as a separate property for the first time (an ‘office’). Mr. Ferguson was still in residence 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
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

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 well detailed shopfront is particularly important. Collectively, the scale and proportions reflect the surrounding buildings, and it has group value with its neighbours.

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