68 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced three-storey rendered former house, built c. 1878. It is now in use as a ‘Nail Parlour’ premises on the ground floor and accommodation to upper floors.. The building is rectangular in plan with a three-storey lean-to return to the rear. There is a rubble stone outhouse building, built c.1880 to the rear of the building.
The building is part of three matching terraced buildings (HB09/13/010A-C), located within a long row of mixed terrace buildings 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, now obscured by signage. 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 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 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. Between the first and second floor windows of the bay there are rendered panels.

The rear East elevation has replacement uPVC windows. The roof is natural slate, having a polychromatic brick chimney with profiled capping to the North.

Returns:
The main lean-to return has an assortment of timber casement windows on concrete sills. There is a painted door on the South elevation of the second floor. There is a metal staircase leading to a concrete platform at first floor, which provides access to the door of the lean-to, and the outbuildings.

The derelict outhouse building is directly opposite the rear elevation. It has an arrangement of timber sash windows and elliptical-headed archways to the East elevation, which have been blocked up. There are brick dressings to the opening surrounds. The West elevation is similar. Square-headed window openings to upper level are also intact with brick dressings as previous.

Setting:
The building is set within a mixed terrace, on the rising sloped pavement 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

The present terrace of three matching buildings (originally all dwellings), was built in 1878, probably by a Richard Cluff, who lived in the large two-storey house three 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.68 appears to have acted initially as a parochial house or a curate’s residence, for its first occupants were a Rev. Peter James Byrne, Rev. Thomas Rice (1883) and the original rateable value £24-15-0. In 1906, (following the building of the new parochial house in Convent Road), a Henry Lindsay became the tenant, a Samuel R. Kingston succeeding him in 1910. In 1924 the lease was acquired, or passed to, a John Todd (who lived in the neighbouring house to the north, present no.66), and in 1927 a William J. Glasgow became the tenant. Glasgow remained there until some time between c.1930 and c.1935. An Arthur C. Thompson is recorded as the householder in 1936, John Bishop in 1937 and E.M. Doris in 1940. In 1956 a M. Doris is noted as the occupant, and an M. Cameron the immediate lessor. A Mary G. Doris is listed as tenant in 1964 [?the M. Doris of 1956], with an L.M. Doris the immediate lessor. This situation remained the same until at least 1972

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 A & C.