63 Oldtown Street, Cookstown, BT80 8EE

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced two-storey house, built c.1830. It is largely rectangular in plan with a single-storey lean-to open trellis /veranda to the front elevation. There is a further two-storey return adjoining the rear.

External walls are ruled-and-lined render to the ground floor, and dry dash render to the first floor. There are smooth render bands to the window edges, and a continuous smooth render band at window head level.
The roof is pitched with artificial slate. There are two simple brick chimneys to each end. Rainwater goods appear to be replacement uPVC.

The front West elevation front onto Oldtown Street. It is three windows in width. The ground floor has 8/8 timber sliding sash windows set on painted cut stone sills. There is a door to the centre, which is partially obscured from view by a veranda. The door is square-headed with a timber-panelled door.
The open veranda is supported on four painted square timber posts. The posts have curved timber brackets to the eaves. The projecting sides of the veranda are timber lattice. The lean-to roof over is of natural slate.
The upper level also has 8/8 timber sliding sash frames.

The rear South elevation is largely obscured by returns. There is a square-headed timber casement window visible to the first floor.

Return

The two-storey return is located to the right side of the rear.
The rear elevations have an assortment of square-headed timber uPVC windows, with no openings to the remaining elevations.
The two-storey return has a pitched artificial slate roof. The single-storey has a flat roof. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC.

Setting

The house is set back from Oldtown Street. There is a low rendered wall to the roadside and a long narrow stepped garden rising up towards the house. Oldtown Street largely comprises terraced houses, and is located to the North of the main commercial district of Cookstown.

The rear elevation faces onto a small yard with a rubble stone wall to the North. There is a painted wrought-iron rural gate set within the wall.

Historical information

The site of this building appears to be shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34, but it is difficult to be certain of this. An examination of the valuation records of the following year suggests there was a house on site, and that this was then in the possession of a Joseph Smyth (or Smith), with measurements recorded as 29ft x 23 x 17 for the main section, a return of 14½ x 8½ x 5, and outbuildings of 24 x 15½ x 6, 21 x 12½ x 6 and 29 x 13 x 10, the first and the last of which were thatched. The valuers state that the building was ‘not new’ at that point, and its rateable value is given as £6-18-1, rising to £7-14-0 in the valuation revision of 1838. By 1859 a Hugh Smith is recorded as leasing the property directly from the Gunning-Moore estate, with the rateable value given as £13.

Hugh Smith was succeeded as occupant by an Elizabeth Smith in 1863, who in turn was followed by a David [?]Lawn in 1878, James Johnston in 1880, William Judge 1882, Martha Sheppard 1891, Matilda Whann 1899, Charles McClean 1904, George McCormick 1906, William Nelson 1911, and Robert Gildea in 1914. In 1922 the property was old to a Robert Greer, with an Annie Greer listed as leasing the property from him from 1940 until at least 1972.

The veranda may have been added in the Edwardian era.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/9/10/1 OS plan of Cookstown, 1833
2 PRONI VAL/1B/622A First valuation, Derryloran parish, 1834-c.1838
3 PRONI VAL/1D/6/2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, c.1838
4 PRONI VAL/2C/63 Second valuation, Union of Cookstown (Dublin, 1859) [This is the printed version of the second valuation. The handwritten version (which may have been more detailed and include property dimensions etc.) no longer exists. The printed volume merely provides names of tenants and leaseholders, and rateable values.]
5 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1860-63
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
13 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.]
14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
16 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
17 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
18 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
19 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
20 PRONI VAL/12A/6/11 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown Union, 1895-1900
21 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
22 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
23 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
24 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
25 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
26 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
27 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
28 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
29 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
30 PRONI VAL/4B/6/11 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.2E, 1956-72

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a terraced two-storey house, built c.1830. It is appears to be a well preserved early nineteenth century house set within a mixed terrace. The proportions are pleasing and the veranda adds character to the front façade. However it is compromised by the changes to the adjacent terraces and not special enough to merit listing itself.