51-53 Molesworth Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced three-storey former Victorian house, c. 1879-1880, with a replacement shopfront to ground level, c. 1969. The building forms part of a long mixed terrace, constructed in stages between 1850 – 1880. There is a single storey flat-roofed return abutting the rear elevation, with additional two-storey rendered and metal clad lean-to return to east. An additional two-storey out building to rear abuts the return.

The North elevation is street fronted and the ground floor contains three parts; a doorway to the East, a central shopfront and a coach arch to the right. Walls are polychromatic brick in Flemish bond with chamfered brick reveals to openings.

The shopfront is symmetrically composed. It has a recessed central glazed timber door with a carved timber architrave, and a cut stone splayed threshold to the doorway. There are fixed-pane timber display windows to each side of doorway, set on a timber stall riser. The shopfront is surmounted by a signboard with plain timber brackets to edges.

The semi-circular headed doorway has a panelled door with a fanlight. The door surround has a chamfered polychromatic brick surround, brick voussoirs, and a carved stone plinth to base. There is a saw-tooth drip moulding over the fanlight with carved brick label stops.

The elliptical headed coach arch has chamfered polychromatic voussoirs and yellow brick reveals to door surround. It also has brick dressings as previous.

The first floor contains semi-circular headed windows, and second floor contains segmental headed windows, both with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. The Classical proportions are reducing to upper level.

Chamfered polychromatic brick voussoirs and chamfered yellow brick reveals to window surrounds, having carved stone sills to base. Yellow saw tooth drip moulding string course over windows at first floor, and a further yellow brick string course to window head level at second floor. Polychromatic diamond brick pattern between each window bay. Saw tooth brick stringcourse at eaves level.

The pitched slate roof has artificial slate, cast-iron gutters, and replacement uPVC downpipes. The polychromatic brick chimney to the left side of the roof has profiled brick saw tooth surround.

There is a mixture of painted timber sash windows to rear return; this has partially rendered and partial corrugated metal to walls incorporating a tall rendered chimney with clay pot. There are corrugated asbestos and corrugated iron roofs to the return and outbuilding.

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

Historical information

The present nos.51, 53 and 55 were originally a single property, built in 1879-80 by a Samuel Turkington, with the original rateable value recorded as £32-15-0. David Acheson took over as leaseholder and occupant from Turkington in 1909, holding the lease until 1916 when it reverted to the ‘representatives of Samuel Turkington’. William J. Heatrick became leaseholder and occupant in 1954, with a John Sharkey acquiring the building in 1960, and an M. Coulton in 1970.

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 polychromatic building influenced by the writings of John Ruskin which represents an important element of the nineteenth-century architectural heritage of Cookstown.

The building forms part of the continuing urbanization and growing prosperity of Cookstown following the arrival of the railways. It shares group value with the other listed buildings in this important Street .

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 three buildings formerly recorded as HB09/13/017 Q, R & S