31-33 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a three-storey sandstone former house, built c. 1872. The building contains a shopfront to the ground floor, with offices above. It is rectangular in plan, and has a two-storey flat-roofed stepped return stretching back to the rear South elevation.

The building 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 North elevation is street fronted with render to the ground floor. It has a shopfront to the right and a doorway to the left. The square headed doorway at ground level is fitted with a replacement aluminium door with an overlight.
The shopfront fenestration to the right is protected by a roller shutter. It is recessed into a ceramic tiled bay and has an aluminium door with single-light aluminium windows to each side. A simple painted render and timber signboard surmounts the shopfront.

The upper levels are faced with ashlar sandstone. Windows are flat headed with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows, with the classical proportions of the windows reducing to the upper levels. Banded rusticated sandstone quoins feature on the front elevation.

There are replacement uPVC gutters to eaves and natural slate to roof with a shared brick chimney to the East.

Return:
The rear return has square headed timber casement windows to the upper level and a single square headed doorway to the ground level, obscured by a galvanised metal grill. A large galvanised steel staircase stretches from the flat roof of the return to ground level of the rear southern face of the return.
There is an irregular arrangement of two-storey plain rendered outhouse buildings with a single-storey lean to, and metal roofs to the rear.

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

Historical information

The present nos.31-33 form what was originally a single property built in 1872, along with its neighbour to the west, present nos.27-29 (HB09/13/017E). Both properties appear to have been developed by a William Taggart, with nos.31-33 and originally occupied by a Samuel Brown, and the rateable value £34-15-0. In 1882 the residents are listed as Charles Knox and Hamilton Tomb, with the latter the sole occupant by c.1888.

The lease passed to the representatives of William Taggart upon the latter’s death in 1893. An Alexander Nelson is listed as the tenant in 1899, followed by A.W. Richardson in 1908. In 1912 Richardson sublet an office on the first floor to the Customs & Excise, but by 1936 the building is recorded as containing a shop and dwelling over. In 1950 the upper floor rooms were once again given over to office use, and were occupied by the National Assistance Board for Northern Ireland, with the lease of the whole building in the hands of a Herbert Robinson. In 1958 Robinson let part of the first floor to Messrs W. & M. Given, who were still there in 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 large terraced house is an important element of the nineteenth-century built heritage of Cookstown. it retains the three-storey street fronted character and appearance of much of Molesworth Street. It makes a positive contribution to the group value of the listed buildings in the street.

Its location in Molesworth Street reveals the urbanization and increasing prosperity of Cookstown in the Victorin era. Much of this was of course due to the arrival of the railway.

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 G & H.