27-29 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a three-storey painted stone former house, built c. 1872. The building contains a barber shop to the ground floor, c. 1970, and accommodation above. It is rectangular in plan, with a two-storey flat roof stepped return to the rear South Elevation. It forms part of a long row of mixed three-storey buildings built in stages between 1850 – 80, now largely converted to shops, pubs and offices.

The front North elevation is street fronted. The ground floor contains an elliptical headed coach arch to the left, shopfront to the centre and a doorway to the right.

The shopfront is a replacement, c. 1970, and is composed of a central doorway with an overlight, and two flanking single light shop windows set on a painted raised brick plinth. The shopfront has a galvanised steel surround and roller shutter box above, surmounted by a simple signboard.

The doorway to the right is square-headed with an overlight. The segmental headed coach arch is a primary feature on the ground floor, with splayed rusticated quoins to reveals, and a central keystone lintel. There are galvanised steel gates to coach arch.

The upper levels contain square headed 1/1 timber sash windows with painted cut stone sills.

Walls are constructed with painted ashlar stone. There are painted rusticated stone quoins to right of front elevation. There are replacement uPVC gutters to eaves and natural slate to roof with a single brick chimney to the right.

The rear South elevation is rendered. It is composed of an irregular arrangement of square headed door and window openings, with a combination of timber and uPVC casement windows and doors, with painted concrete sills. A large galvanised steel fire escape stair and railings stretch from second floor to ground floor.

Returns:
The two-storey stepped return stretches back to the south, also with an irregular arrangement of square headed uPVC windows with concrete sills. It has rendered chimneys, and uPVC guttering and downpipes. The return abuts an arrangement of two-storey plain rendered outhouse buildings with a single-storey lean-to, and metal roofs. An additional single-bay single-storey flat roof return to the ground floor contains a single square-headed timber window.

Setting:
The building is set in North East of the town centre as part of a uniform and matching three-storey terrace.

Historical information

Present nos.27 and 29 form what was originally a single property, built in 1872. Alexander Molloy is recorded as the first occupant, with William Taggart the immediate lessor, and the rateable value, £34-15-0. The building is noted by the valuers in 1892 as containing a public house, however, it may have done so prior to this. By 1893 the lease is recorded as having passed to the representatives of William Taggart. Six years after this a James Gorman is listed as leasing the property from a Thomas Mckay, with a Joe W. Devlin succeeding as tenant in 1901 and remaining there until 1929.

A James Mayne became resident in 1930, and in the same year the building is noted as a ‘licensed hotel’. By 1936 the property had been divided in two with a shop on the ground floor and dwelling over, and a William McDonald Porter holding the lease of the whole building. In 1952 the lease passed to Mary S. Porter, and in the same year the shop is noted as a café run by a Joseph Anderson, who also occupied the dwelling. Some of the outbuildings had been converted to a garage / mechanics’ workshop by this date also, these forming a separate property occupied by ‘Cookstown Auto and Battery Services’.

By 1967 the lease of the whole property had been acquired (or passed to) a Patrick Eastwood, with a doctor’s surgery located in the ground floor, and three flats taking up the rest of the building. The offices are noted as vacant in 1962, and appeared to have remained as such up until at least 1972.

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This well proportioned terraced former house makes a positive contribution to the group value of Molesworth Street. Continual additions to the mixed terrace represent the urbanization and increasing prosperity of Cookstown at this time, particularly reflecting the arrival of the railway.

This is a quite large terraced house whose external style and proportion are its most significant features.

The terrace 19 - 53 Molesworth Street was built during a thirty year period; despite this time period and the fact that it was built in many stages it has maintained a remarkable uniformity.

General comments

This record includes the two buildings formerly recorded as HB09/13/017 E & F