54 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is an attached three-storey former house, shop and public bar; built c. 1835, originally built as one house together with the adjacent building (HB09/13/011B). The building is now vacant.
It is rectangular in plan with a two-storey lean-to to the rear, c. 1880. There are several outhouse buildings to the rear. External walls to front elevation are painted render.

The building forms part of a mixed terrace within a long row of buildings along James Street.

The West elevation fronts directly onto James Street. The ground floor is composed of a shopfront, c. 1880, which has now been boarded up. It comprises a shop window to the left, which incorporated an integral shop door, a further single shop window to the centre and an external door to the right, leading to former accommodation above (HB09/13/011B). The shopfront has been boarded up, however simple panelled pilasters with carved console brackets separate the shop window and shop door. The shop door has an overlight, which has also been boarded up. Pilasters surround the external door, which has a segmental headed overlight. All openings are surmounted by a carved timber projecting cornice, with a simple timber signboard.

The upper levels contain 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. Classical proportions reduce to upper levels.
The front elevation has chamfered quoins to edges.

The rendered South gable elevation has a flat-headed window at first floor, but is otherwise blank. There are two-chimneys, one to the apex of the gable, and one to the eaves level supported off the lean-to by a buttress wall.

The East rear elevation is painted render. It has 1/1 timber sliding sash windows to upper levels. The main roof is artificial slate, with cast-iron rainwater goods. Chimneystacks are rendered and have profile caps.

Return:
The rear lean-to contains timber casement windows to ground and first floor. The roof is natural slate, with cast-iron rainwater goods.

Setting:
The terrace is street fronted on the pavement of James Street on the North of the Main Street of Cookstown.

Historical information

This shop and the apartment over (present no.56, HB09/13/011B) originally belonged to a single dwelling. This is noted in the January 1835 valuation as an old house (quality letter ‘1C+’) occupied by a Matthew Glasgow, who appears to have paid £9 per year in rent for it. The rateable value is given as £4-11-9 and the dimensions are recorded as 29½ft x 21½ x 17 for the main section with a return of 19 x 9½ x 5 and an office 16 x 21½ x 9; clearly the main front section of the building consisted of only two storeys at this point. The rateable value in c.1838 valuation modification is given as £4-18-0.

A Matthew S. Glasgow (possibly the same person recorded in 1835, or a relation) is recorded as the leaseholder in the 1859 valuation, with a William Houston the tenant, and the rateable value £8-10-0. A John Stewart became the next occupant, in 1869, followed by a Charles Rankin in 1877. In 1880 the lease was acquired by William Morgan, and the property ‘improved’, work which undoubtedly involved the addition of the second storey, and, (as the accompanying valuation map indicates), an extension to the rear. As a result of these improvements, the rateable value rose by a respectable £6. In 1887 James McVeigh became the resident. McVeigh, who already rented the shop to the south (no.58), and was to acquire the leases of two houses a few doors below this (present nos.60 and 62), was succeeded by a William McMullan in 1893, who in turn was followed by leaseholder William Morgan in 1897.

In 1910 the property is listed in the valuation book as a ‘Licensed house’ and in 1914 a Sarah Morgan is noted as the occupant. A James McGuckin became both leaseholder and resident in 1918, being succeeded in both roles by a John Mulgrew in 1921. Edward Quinn followed Mulgrew as occupant in 1950. The following year the building is recorded as two properties, (a public bar and a house), although the same person (Edward Quinn) is recorded as occupying both. A Samuel Montgomery acquired the lease of the whole building in 1954, and is also listed as the occupant, remaining there until 1972.

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 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.]
6 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1860-63
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
13 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
14 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.]
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
16 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
17 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
18 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
19 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
20 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
21 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
22 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
23 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
24 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
25 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
26 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
27 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
28 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
29 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
30 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
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This three storey early Victorian building has good proportions and detailing to the front facade. It has group value with the two buildings of similar age to the south.