37 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a three-storey sandstone former house, built c. 1874. The property contains a café shop, and a barber shop to the ground floor, c. 1980. It is rectangular in plan with a single-storey rendered return to 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 front North elevation is street fronted, and is constructed ofashlar sandstone. The ground floor contains two replacement shopfronts.

The shopfront to the right has a symmetrical arrangement and is designed in a Victorian style. It has a central square headed timber panelled doorway, with a square headed overlight. Two large single light shop windows flank the doorway, set on a painted ruled and lined rendered stall riser. Panelled pilasters flank each side of the shopfront, surmounted by simple outsized timber console brackets and a timber fascia and signboard.

The barber shop infill shopfront to the left is symmetrical, and set within the elliptical headed coach arch. There are rusticated stone surrounds to the coach arch with a central keystone. An illuminated barbers pole is mounted on the keystone. The shopfront has a central glazed and panelled timber door with an overlight. Two segmental headed windows flank each side of the doorway, set on rendered stall risers and surmounted by a simple painted timber fascia.

The upper level contains 1/1 timber sliding sash windows, set on cut stone sills.

The rear South elevation is painted render. It contains an irregular arrangement of replacement painted timber windows, with concrete sills to upper level. There is a fiber cement slate to roof, cast-iron rainwater goods and a simple brick chimney.

Return:
The painted rendered single-storey stepped return has timber casement windows, and a square headed doorway with metal infill covering.

Setting:
The rear of the building faces onto a service yard and car park.
The building is set 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

An well proportioned and detailed house representing an important element of the nineteenth-century architectural legacy of Cookstown
The quality of the stone masonry adds to the character and appearance of this important street and the building has group value with the other adjacent listed buildings.

Although the ground floor shopfronts are later additions, they provide colourful insets to the overall streetscape.

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.