6 Loy Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is an attached three-storey former house, built c. 1867-68, it was later used as a police barracks until the 1970’s. The property now has multiple uses, as a volunteer centre, a chiropodist, a Chinese clinic, and a hair studio. The building is rectangular in plan, with a three-storey flat-roofed return to the rear. There is painted render to the external walls.

The front West elevation faces the street. The main door is elliptical headed and is flanked with semi-circular headed side lights; these are each flanked with pilasters with elaborate carved console brackets with acanthus stops. The pilasters support an entablature above which is a segmental-headed fanlight. All is set within a segmental-headed opening which is flanked with panelled pilasters and a decorative carved surround.

There are two flat-roofed canted bay windows to each side of the doorway. The bay windows have replacement uPVC windows, carved timber sills and a projecting cornicing.

The first floor level has semi-circular headed central tri-partite window with 1/1 timber sash frames. It has a chamfered carved stone surround. There are paired round-headed windows to each side of the central window, with stone dressings as previous.

The second floor contains a square-headed central tri-partite window with 1/1 timber sash frames, as previous. It is set within a cut-stone surround with a central keystone over.

The side North elevation is gable-ended. It has two replacement uPVC windows on each floor.

The rear East elevation has replacement uPVC windows.

The external walls have rusticated render to the ground floor, and smooth render to the upper levels. Quoins are diamond pointed to ground floor and chamfered to upper levels. A rendered band separates the ground level from the upper levels. There is artificial slate to the roof and cast-iron rainwater goods. Original chimneys have been removed.

Return:
There is an irregular assortment of replacement uPVC casement windows and timber sliding sash to the return. A pointed arched stained glass window is located on the East elevation of the return. There is a painted metal escape staircase leading from the ground floor to the second floor.

Setting:
The building is back from Loy Street behind a low boundary wall with replacement metal railings. There is a vehicle entrance gate to the left and pedestrian entrance to the centre with simple rusticated square pillars and pyramidal stone caps. It has a painted metal gate to the left providing access for parking. The entrance parking area is finished with tarmac.
The house is set to the North eastern side of the town centre at the edge of the largely Victorian Loy Street.

Historical information

This house was built in 1867-68 by a James McMillan, on a lease he held directly from the Gunning / Moore estate, with outbuildings to the rear following in 1869. The house itself was originally rated at £40, with £5 added upon the completion of the outbuildings in 1869. In 1885 a Sarah Jane and Hetty H. McMillan are listed as the occupants, with a William Foley succeeding them in 1892, a John Raphael in 1894 and a George J. Raphael in 1903. In 1905 the building was converted to an RIC Barrack. The valuer’s notebook entry recording this change of use notes that the house had been very difficult to let for its full value because of its large size, and informs us that after conversion the building’s eight bedrooms, sitting room, office, store, day room and mess room, were able to accommodate ‘18 men and [the] head constable’s family’, but ‘could hold 10 men more’.

According to the valuations, the building was still in use as a police (RUC) station in 1972; however by September 1973 (when the first survey was carried out), it was in use as a dwelling house again.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
2 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
3 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
4 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
8 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.]
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
11 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
12 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
13 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
14 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
15 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
16 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
17 PRONI VAL/12A/6/16 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown UD, 1901-10, p.47
18 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
19 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
20 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
21 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
22 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
23 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
24 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
25 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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A large mid-Victorian townhouse that has been much altered following various alterations and changes of use. These collective changes have resulted in a buildng that, although well maintained, does not have sufficient architectural or historic interest to be listed.