46 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a three-storey former house; built c. 1896, The building now contains a ‘House of Prayer’. It is roughly rectangular in plan, stretching back to the East with a two-storey lean-to return, c. 1896. It has a yard to rear accessed via an integral coach arch as part of the adjacent building.
The building forms part of short matching terrace including (HB09/13/013A, and HB09/13/013C) set within a long row of mixed terrace buildings along James Street.

The West elevation fronts directly onto James Street. The ground floor is composed of a doorway to the right and windows to the left.
The shallow-pointed arched doorway to the right has a panelled timber door and an overlight. There are chamfered cut-granite surrounds to door. The windows are paired with shallow-pointed arches and 1/1 timber sash frames; these have stone surrounds as before. Above the window is a painted shop-style signboard.

The upper levels contain shallow arched windows as before, and 1/1 timber sliding sash windows, the upper sash containing coloured glass in a checkered pattern. There is a stone string course to first floor with projecting stone string course at second floor and dentilled eaves course. There are two roundel windows to the second floor, with cut-stone surrounds. The roundels have carved timber quatrefoil frames and stained glass window. There is a paired window at second floor level with stone dressings as before. This is set below a small gablette which has decorative a carved painted timber bargeboard.

The ground floor of the front West wall is faced with rock faced squared granite rubble. Upper floors are faced with red clay brick with stone string courses and dressings.
The stepped rear East elevation is faced with smooth render, with an irregular arrangement of timber sliding sash windows.
The main roof is artificial slate, with cast-iron rainwater goods. All original brick chimneys removed.

Return:
The two-storey lean-to has dry dash render. It has a 1/1 timber sash window with margin panes. The roof is natural slate with original cast-iron downpipes.

Setting:
The building is set on the rising sloped pavement to the eastern side of James Street. It is located on the southern edge of the commercial centre of Cookstown. The mixed terrace is comprised mainly of Victorian buildings.

Historical information

As the date stone suggests, this property and its two matching neighbours to the north and south (nos.44 and 48, HB09/13/013A, C) were built in 1896. The building is first recorded as a ‘house and yard’ in the valuation book in 1897, with rateable value £19, Edward Liddle the leaseholder (and presumably the developer), and a Henry M. Raphael was the tenant.

In 1910, a Robert J. Lindsay acquired the lease of this and the two matching houses to north and south. By 1936 a Peter Cosgrove was holding the leases of all three houses, with a Henry N. Raphael (doubtless a relation of the above) noted as the occupant of this property. R. Stewart Twigg and Richard H Twigg followed Raphael in 1941, with a Dr. John Flanagan following him in 1964 and remaining there until at least 1972.

References- Primary sources
1 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.]
2 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
3 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
4 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
5 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
6 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
7 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
8 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
11 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
13 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
14 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
15 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
16 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
15 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
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This late Victorian building is well proportioned and detailed and was constructed as one of a group of three similar properties which all maintain a large proportion of the original lively detailing and have group value with each other. (HB09/13/013A, B & C).