64 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced two-storey former house; built c. 1838. It is rectangular in plan with an extensive two-storey, later, pitched extension to the rear North. External walls are rendered.
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 has a doorway to the left. There is a canted bay window to the right of the doorway. The doorway is square-headed with a panelled timber door and an overlight. There is a projecting carved surround to the door and a projecting carved timber cornice over.
The canted bay window has segmental-headed windows with chamfered window surrounds. There are 1/1 and 2/2 timber sash frames set on a continuous carved stone sill. There is a projecting cornice to the top of the canted bay
The upper level has tripartite 1/1 timber sliding sash windows to the right. There is a 2/2 timber sash frame to the left.. Both are set on painted cut stone sills.

The rear East elevation is obscured by the returns.

The main roof is natural slate. It has a brick chimney with profiled stepped capping. Rainwater goods to the front elevation are cast-iron.
External walls to front elevation are painted render with quoins to edges. The rear East elevation is dry dash render.

Return / Extension:
The return is pitched to the South with a flat-roofed bay to the North. It has an assortment of timber casement and uPVC windows and doors. There is a metal stair leading from first floor to the rear yard.
The external walls are dry dash render. There is artificial slate to roofs and uPVC rainwater goods.

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 and a semicircular south-facing end which took up part of the plot now belonging to the neighbouring building to the south (no.66, HB09/13/010A). In the January 1835 valuation this house is recorded as relatively old building (quality letter ‘1B’) occupied by a Mrs Logan, with a rateable value of £7-8-3. The dimensions are listed as 19ft x 20 x 9 for the main section, ‘ditto circular’ (i.e. the portion to the south) 12 x 15 x 14½, a return of 28 x 19 x 16½, and two thatched offices measuring 9½ x 19 x 8½ and 17 x 15½ x 7. In the c.1838 modification the rateable value is given as £10.

By 1859 the property housed the local dispensary, the lease held by a James Cluff, with a Richard Cluff succeeding him in 1862. In 1878, a portion of the south end of the building, which appears to have amounted to a large curved bay, was demolished to make way for the present no.66. The property continued to act as a dispensary until 1890, when its lease and that of the larger house to the north (present no.62, HB09/13/011E) were acquired by a James McVeigh, and it reverted to a private dwelling once again. It was probably not long after this point that the canted bay was added. Henry A. Mann is recorded as the occupant in 1892, with rateable value £7-10-0 (previously, as a dispensary, the building was exempt from rating). In 1899, Mann was succeeded by an Alexander (or Alistair) Morrison, followed by a John W. Fleming in 1907. In 1936 an Annie Turner is recorded as the occupant, with Margaret McVeigh the immediate lessor. A John Quinn became resident in 1939, followed by Kathleen Quinn in 1949. In 1956 a J. Duncan is recorded as the occupant, with an Alice M. McVeigh the immediate lessor. J.A. Quinn became tenant in 1960, remaining there until at least 1972. The property is listed as containing a surgery in 1956, but this had ceased to function by 1960.

An 1899 entry in the valuers’ office notebook contains a plan of the property similar to that we see today, with the bay to front and long rear return.

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 Lewis, Samuel, ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland…’ vol.1, (London, 1837)
6 ‘Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1846)
7 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.]
8 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1860-63
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
13 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
16 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.]
17 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
18 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
19 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
20 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
21 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
22 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
23 PRONI VAL/12A/6/11 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown Union, 1895-1900, p.122
24 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
25 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
26 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
27 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
28 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
29 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
30 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
31 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
32 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
33 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
H+. Alterations enhancing the building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This house represents an important part of the early nineteenth century Cookstown. The majority of the special interest is in the front block and front elevation which has good proportions and detailing. It has group value with the adjacent buildings from the same period.