70 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 offices. The building is rectangular in plan with a three-storey lean-to return to the rear. There is an additional single-storey extension to the rear with an external metal stair attached. There is a rubble stone outhouse building, built c.1880 to the rear of the building. This adjoins the return via a stairwell.
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. Modern signage has been attached above the ground floor doorway and canted bay in the form of a projecting box-like rectangular sign. It obscures the view of the doorway, however based on the adjacent matching terrace buildings, (HB09/13/010A-B) 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.

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 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 windows to the first floor are obscured by additional box-like signage, as previous.
The side South elevation is painted render and largely blank.

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 uPVC windows on concrete sills. There is a painted door on the North 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 outbuilding.

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 four 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.70’s first occupant was a William Glasgow, and the original rateable value £24-15-0. William Glasgow was succeeded by a John Raphael in 1884, who in turn was followed by an Andrew McCollum in 1885, a William H. Yeats in 1886, and a John Malone in 1891. In 1916 a James Crawford is listed as the tenant, with a Mary Crawford recorded from 1921. In 1924 the lease was acquired, or passed to, a John Todd, who, by that stage was also leaseholder for the two identical properties to the north (present nos.66 and 68). In 1936 an Annie Connolly is noted as the occupier and a Mrs. M. Cameron the leaseholder. In 1940 a Samuel Carlisle is recorded as the tenant, followed by a John McMaster in 1947, Dr. John Flanigan in 1959, and a Dr. J.G. Muldoon in 1964. An M. Cameron is recorded as the immediate lessor in 1956, and was still holding the property up 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 & B..