35 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a three-storey sandstone terraced former house, built c. 1874. The property contains a well designed replacement shop to ground floor, c. 1980. The building is roughly rectangular in plan with a two-storey flat roof return to rear, and a further single-storey lean-to. 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 North elevation is street fronted. The ground floor shopfront is symmetrical containing a central square headed timber panelled doorway with glazing to the top panel, and an overlight. Two large single-light flanking timber shop windows are set on a timber panelled stall riser. There are simple panelled painted timber pilasters to each side of the shopfront, which are surmounted by ogee shaped carved timber console brackets and a simple signboard.

The upper level contains square headed 1/1 timber sash windows with cut stone sills. There are replacement gutters to eaves and artificial slate to roof with a shared brick chimney to the West.

The rear South elevation is painted render. It is composed of a random arrangement of square headed replacement timber casement windows.

Return:
The flat roofed two-storey return has similar mixture of fenestration of square headed timber windows. A single-storey lean-to with artificial slate roof abuts the southern elevation of the return. There is a rendered chimney protruding above the roof line. An exposed concrete block wall connects the southern face of the lean-to to the rear boundary. A solid external staircase with brick balustrade, c. 1980, provides access from the ground level to the upper deck level; this in turn gives access to the apartments.

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 no.35 and no.37 form what was originally a single property, built in 1874 by William Taggart, who had built the two neighbouring buildings to the west two years previously (present nos.27-29 and 31-33, HB09/13/017E, G). The first occupant is recorded as a Thomas McKay with the rateable value a hefty £46-10-0. By 1893, following the death of William Taggart, McKay himself took on the lease, sharing the property with his son (also known as Thomas) from 1908 until 1916. In 1923 a Joseph Anderson is listed as leaseholder and occupant, followed by a Bernard Donaghy in 1929, and a Joseph Donaghy in 1952, who is also listed as the leaseholder after 1956. The lease was acquired (or passed to) a Patrick McCusker in 1970, and he is recorded as occupying the property up until at least 1972.

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

A well proportioned and detailed former house representing an important element of the late nineteenth-century architectural heritage of Cookstown. It represents the urbanization and increasing prosperity of Cookstown, particularly following the arrival of the railway. Its external appearance and group value with the other listed buildings in this important street are its most significant features.

Its location in Molesworth Street reveals the urbanization and increasing prosperity of Cookstown in the Victorian 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.