18-20 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Description at June 2006: Building has been demolished and a replacement was 80% complete.

Description at 16/12/2003: Three-storey end of terrace shop of c.1850, much altered and ‘modernised’ and extended in the 1980s-90s. The property is situated on the E side of James Street in the centre of Cookstown.

The front elevation is asymmetrical and faces roughly W. The ground floor level has been completely altered, with all elements of the original shop front removed and replaced with marble-like cladding with raised quoins. To the left is a flat arch carriage entrance, and to right is a large replacement shop front, with roller shutter over.

Above ground level, the front elevation is finished in painted lined render with raised in-out quoins. To the first floor there are three unevenly spaced windows with simple rendered surrounds and replacement, (c.1970s-80s), top hung frames and what appear to be replacement concrete cills. There is a similar window arrangement to the second floor, however the openings are smaller and the original painted stone cills appear to be still in place.

The S-facing gable is finished in the same fashion as the upper portion of the front elevation. There is a small window to right at first floor level and other at right to the second floor, both with timber sash frames. The frame to the second floor window appears to have Georgian panes (possibly six over three), whilst that to the first floor appears to be plain.

To the rear the building has been greatly extended, with the original return now smothered by large additions, including two-storey extensions to the N and S sides and a very large (almost warehouse-like) two-storey extension to the E. As a result, the rear elevation now has an untidy, utilitarian appearance, with walls finished in plain unpainted cement render or unpainted roughcast. These rear extensions appear to be devoid of openings, apart from a doorway, with metal-sheeted door, to the left on the ground floor of the N face of the N extension, and a similar door to the ground floor of the W face of the large extension to the E. There is another (timber) door to the floor above this, accessed by a timber open-tread staircase with iron handrail. There are two window openings to the S side of the S extension, however their frames could not be seen clearly.

Most of the original openings to the rear façade of the main portion of the building have either been blocked up or their positions covered by the extensions. Some openings have survived to the right hand side of the façade in the form of the carriage entrance to the ground floor, two windows to the first floor, and another (larger) window to the second floor. The second floor window has the dilapidated remains of a plain timber sash frame, with a Georgian-paned timber sash frame, (six over six), to the window to left on the first floor, and a plain timber sash frame to that to its right.

The roof of the main section of the building is gable-ended and covered in artificial ‘slate’. The chimneystacks have been removed. The extensions have a variety of pitched roofs with at least one section of roof covered in corrugated iron and another in artificial ‘slate’.

The carriage entrance has a c.1980s-90s metal gate. The walls within the entrance are cement rendered and the ceiling boarded, however part of this boarding has fallen away.

Historical information

This site is shown undeveloped on the valuation town plan of c.1835-38, but a building is indicated on that of c.1859-60. Unfortunately no dimensions are supplied for this building by the valuers, however, as no major structural changes to the main part of the property are recorded in subsequent valuations, it is safe to assume the ‘house and offices’ recorded in 1860 is that we see today, albeit in a somewhat altered form. The valuers give no indication as to an actual date of construction, so all we can say is that it appeared some time between c.1838 and c.1860, possibly around 1850.

The occupant in 1860 is listed as one Andrew Campbell, with the owners as James Gunning and James Moore, and the building itself valued at the relatively high rate of £26. The property continued to be occupied by members of the Campbell family until 1924, whilst ownership passed to a Michael N. Donnelly in 1908 and to an Andrew Campbell (presumably a different Andrew to that recorded in 1860) in 1912. Between 1924 and 1936 a Charles Mackle is listed as both occupier and owner, with a William John McAuley leasing the property from Mackle from the latter year until at least 1957. In the 1980s and 1990s the building was in the hands of a Mr Conway.

Though the pre 1950s valuations appear to give no indication as to the presence of a shop within the building, it is clear, (given the evidence of the first Historic Building survey of the 1970s), that one appears to have existed from the late 19th / early 20th century at least.

Building was demolished in early 2006.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1D/6/2 First valuation town plan of Cookstown, c.1835-38
2 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation town plan of Cookstown, 1859-60
3 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A-K Annual valuation revision books, Cookstown ED, 1860-99
4 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation town plan of Cookstown, 1882 (-97)
5 PRONI OS/8/33/1/1-5 OS town plan of Cookstown, 1895
6 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Cookstown, 1897 (-1910)
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A-C Annual valuation revision books, Cookstown urban ED, 1899-1930
8 PRONI OS/8/33/2/1-4 OS town plan of Cookstown, 1909 (-18)
9 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57
10 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1/1-4 Valuation town plan of Cookstown, 1936-37
11 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation town plan of Cookstown, 1859-60

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Evaluation at 16/12/2003: Three-storey end of terrace shop of c.1850, extensively altered, ‘modernised’ and extended in the 1980s-90s, with the resultant loss of its original character both externally and internally. Now of little architectural interest.

Evaluation at June 2006: Building has been demolished.