66 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is an attached three-storey rendered former house, built c. 1878. It is now in use as a hair and beauty premises. The building is rectangular in plan with a three-storey lean-to return to the rear. There is a further single-storey flat-roofed extension to the South (left) of the main return. An additional single-storey flat-roofed extension stretches from the East (rear) of the main return and extends to the rear of the site. This return abuts a two storey snecked rubble stone outhouse building, built c.1880.
The building is part of three matching terraced buildings (HB09/13/010A-C), located along James Street.

The front West elevation is set back from the street, with a tarmac parking area open to the pavement. It has a doorway to the right, and a canted bay to the left.

The doorway is segmental headed with a timber panelled door and an overlight. It has panelled pilasters to sides which are surmounted by carved scrolled timber console brackets with acanthus leaf stops. The console brackets support a projecting carved timber cornice and pediment.

The canted bay contains 1/1 timber sash windows. It is surmounted by a projecting stone dentilled cornice. Modern signage has been attached above the ground floor canted bay in the form of a projecting box-like rectangular sign.

The windows to the right of the upper levels are segmental headed. They contain 1/1 timber sash windows with a carved stone surround and a central diamond keystone. The first floor window has a continuous projecting stone course at sill level. The second floor window is set on a cut-stone sill with decorative carved stone console brackets beneath. The windows to the canted bay are square-headed 1/1 timber sash with stone surrounds as previous. There is a hipped roof to the canted bay and a decorative carved timber fascia.

The rear East elevation has two timber casement windows.
The roof is artificial slate, having a polychromatic brick chimney with profiled capping to the North The chimneystacks appear to have been raised in height.

The north elevation rises above the adjoining building; the upper part of the gable is blank.

Returns:
The main return has an irregular arrangement of timber casement windows on concrete sills. The first single-storey flat-roofed extension has a large timber casement window on a concrete sill. The second single-storey flat roofed extension does not have any visible openings to the South elevation. Access was restricted to the North elevation.
The derelict outhouse buildings are directly abutting the second extension. It has an arrangement of timber sash windows to the East elevation with brick dressings to window surrounds. The West elevation has elliptical-headed archways to the ground floor, which have been blocked up. Square headed window openings to upper level are also intact with brick dressings as previous.

Setting:
The building is set within a mixed terrace, to the eastern side of James Street to the southern edge of the commercial centre of Cookstown. It is set back from the pavement to provide a hard-landscaped parking area. The mixed terrace comprises mainly of two-storey Victorian buildings ranging in age from early to late nineteenth century.

Historical information

On the c.1838 valuation the site of the present building is shown partly taken up by an L-shaped dwelling with a short frontage to Loy Street (probably the core of the present no.64, HB09/13/011F) with a semicircular south-facing end. In fact, it was the semicircular end which appears to have occupied this particular plot, in part at least. In the January 1835 valuation this is recorded as a relatively old dwelling (quality letter ‘1B’), occupied by a Mrs Logan, with a rateable value of £7-8-3. The dimensions are listed as: ‘House’ 19ft x 20 x 9, ‘ditto circular’ 12 x 15 x 14½, return 28 x 19 x 16½, with two thatched offices of 9½ x 19 x 8½ and 17 x 15½ x 7. In the c.1838 modification the rateable value is given as £10.

The present terrace of three matching buildings (0riginally all dwellings), was built in 1878, probably by a Richard Cluff, who lived in the large two-storey house two doors to the north (present no.62, HB09/13/011E) and whose family had held the lease of this plot since 1859 at least. No.66’s first occupant was a Mary Charles, and the original rateable value £24-15-0. Mary Charles was succeeded by a William [?]Simrick Martin in 1881, followed by a Robert Browne (in 1884, and sharing the building with Armstrong Browne after 1893). In 1901 a Helen Nunnencamp became the sole occupant, with an Ella Whiteside following her in 1912, a Francis A. Cluff in 1916, and an Ellen Henderson in 1917. In 1920 a John Todd became the tenant, acquiring the lease in 1922. In 1948 a Mrs M. Cameron is recorded as the immediate lessor, James T. Crawford the tenant. Crawford was still in residence in 1972, with an M. Doris recorded as the lessor from 1964.

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

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Although somewhat altered both internally and externally, this remains a well-proportioned example of a mid Victorian terrace. Larger in scale than any of the modest surrounding two-storey houses, it has a prominent appearance. The front elevation is well detailed and the survival of the stone outbuilding adds to it's interest.

This was built in conjunction with and sharing a group value with the adjacent HB09/13/010 B & C.