47-49 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced three-storey two-bay former Victorian house, c. 1877-1878. 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 building is rectangular in plan. It has a long rectangular two-storey pitched roof return stretching back to the rear. Walls are of original sandstone with carved chamfered reveals to openings.

The North elevation is street fronted. The ground floor is composed of a coach arch to the West, a doorway to the centre and a replacement shopfront to the East. The panelled doorway has an overlight and is surmounted by a carved panelled stone lintel.

The elliptical headed coach arch has a splayed rusticated stone surround with a central projecting keystone. It contains a painted timber double door.

The replacement shopfront is composed of an aluminum glazed doorway right of centre with an overlight, flanked by a single light aluminum window to the right, and a double light larger shop window to the left. The shop window is set on a raised brick plinth. There are pilasters to each side of shopfront surmounted by decorative floral scrolled console brackets with a carved timber cornice. The shopfront is surmounted by a painted timber signboard with raised modern lettering.

The upper levels contain 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with carved chamfered stone surrounds and painted cut stone sills. Classical proportions reducing to upper levels.

The rear South elevation is rendered with 2/2 timber sliding sash windows visible to the upper levels. The coach arch is visible at ground level.

There is natural slate to the roof, and a brick chimney with profiled stepped capping. There are painted cast-iron rainwater goods.

Setting:
The rear service yard is surrounded by a random rubble stone boundary wall to the ground level, with a corrugated iron boundary surround which stretches up beyond the height of the first floor. The building is set in North East of the town centre as part of a uniform and near matching three-storey terrace.

Historical information

Nos.47 and 49 were originally a single property, built in 1877-78 by John McIlhatton along with the matching building to the west (present no.45, HB09/13/017N). The property is noted by the valuers as occupied first by 'McIlhatton Bros.', with an Arthur and David Black noted as residents by the end of 1878. The rateable value is recorded as £34-15-0 in the same year.

Listed as vacant in 1879, a William Cunningham became tenant the following year, followed by a John Mayne in 1881. Robert Dickson (who occupied the neighbouring house to the west) took over the lease in c.1888, and the following year George Espey is recorded as resident. Andrew and William McVey succeeded Espey in 1901, William McVey the sole occupant after 1913. William and David McVey are recorded the tenants in 1936, with a Mrs. Dickson the leaseholder. A Cyrus Brown took up the tenancy in 1939, with Joseph Dickson taking over the lease in 1951. Brown himself had acquired the freehold in c.1956-7, and was still in residence in 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

This well proportioned and detailed composition, presents an interesting variation to the streetscape of the mixed terrace. A slight blending in the sandstone colour between this building and it neighbour suggest it was not a continuing development, however, when, no. 45, 47 and 49, are viewed together, they reveal a single symmetrical composition, with the coach arch at the centre.
Together it creates an impressive building, its continuous development representing the increasing affluence and urbanization of Cookstown with the arrival of the railway, thus emphasizing the group value of the terrace.

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 O & P