11 Loy Street, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, BT80 8PZ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a detached two-storey former house and doctors surgery, built c.1804, it is now in use as a funeral directors. It is roughly rectangular in plan with a two-storey lean-to return to the rear West. There is a further pitched and hipped single-storey extension to the rear Northwest, built c. 1990. There is a also single-storey lean-to extension to the rear with a metal roof. External walls to the house are painted render. The building is set back from Loy Street with a tarmac parking area to the front.

External walls are painted roughcast render with chamfered painted stone quoins to the front elevation. There is natural slate to roof with extruded aluminium rainwater goods. Replacement chimneystacks are brick with profiled stepped capping.

The front East elevation faces onto Loy Street. There is a doorway to the centre of the ground floor with a window to each side.
The doorway is semi-circular-headed. It has carved stone pilasters to each side supporting a carved entablature and surround. There is a radial fanlight to the door with a carved stone keystone over. The door is set on two ceramic tiled steps.
The windows are replacement square-headed uPVC windows with painted cut-stone sills. The upper levels have windows as previous.

The side South elevation is gable-ended. It has an assortment of replacement uPVC windows as previous.

The side North elevation is gable-ended and also has an assortment of uPVC windows. The side of the rear return is visible on this elevation. There is a brick chimney to the apex of each gable.

The rear West elevation has replacement uPVC windows as previous.

Return:
The two-storey return has replacement uPVC windows. There is a round-headed window to the West elevation with a timber sliding sash frame. There is a square-headed door to the South of the lean-to. There is artificial slate to the roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. Walls are painted render.

Extension:
The single-storey extension has replacement uPVC windows. There is a round-headed window to the West elevation with a timber sliding sash frame. There is a square-headed door to the South of the lean-to. There is artificial slate to the roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. Walls are painted render.

Outbuildings:
The single-storey lean-to outbuilding has a square headed garage door opening. It has a metal roof and replacement uPVC rainwater goods

Setting:
The West side of Loy Street has a mixed building line. This building is set back from the road, thus creating a former front garden/yard space which is finished with tarmac. The street is largely comprised of three-storey houses, a Church Hall, a primary school, a technical college and a Church.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1833-34. When the first valuation was carried out in 1835, the house was acting as the manse for the neighbouring Presbyterian Church to the south; as such it is probably contemporary with the church building itself, i.e. c.1804. It is recorded in 1835 as being occupied by a Rev. Thomas Miller, with the dimensions listed as 40ft x 27 x 22½ for the main portion, a return of 12 x 7 x 5½ and outbuildings of 28 x 17 x 14½, 11½ x 17 x 9½ and 12 x 12 x 6½; the rateable valuation is noted as £13-14-5.

In the second valuation of 1859, the property is specifically referred to as a manse, with Millar still in residence and the rateable value £23. Rev. John P. Wilson became the occupant in 1862, followed by Rev. John Patterson c.1881, Rev. Alan B. Cameron c.1894, Rev. Alexander Simms 1907, and Rev. David Maybin 1912.

The property remained in possession of the church until 1929 when the congregation merged with that of Molesworth Street (previously Cookstown Third Presbyterian Church). The church was sold to the Church of Ireland parish of Derryloran and was converted to a parish hall, whilst the lease of manse is recorded in 1936 as belonging to an E.M.R. McIlwaine and the property occupied by a Charles A. Wray. In 1938, a Dr. D.M. Elliott is listed as the tenant and the Education Board of the Tyrone Presbytery the leaseholders; Dr. Elliott appears to have used part of the building as a dispensary. A Dr. Thomas Lowry acquired the property outright in 1966, and was still in possession of it in 1972.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Pigot & Co's Provincial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1824)
2 PRONI OS/9/10/1 OS plan of Cookstown, 1833
3 PRONI VAL/1B/622A First valuation, Derryloran parish, 1834-c.1838
4 PRONI VAL/1D/6/2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, c.1838
5 Lewis, Samuel, ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland…’ vol.1, (London, 1837)
6 ‘Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1846)
7 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.]
8 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1860-63
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1864-68
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
12 ‘Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1870)
13 ‘Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland’, (Manchester, 1880)
14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
16 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
17 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
18 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.]
19 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
20 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
20 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
22 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
22 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
23 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
24 PRONI VAL/12A/6/11 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown Union, 1895-1900
25 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
26 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
27 PRONI VAL/12A/6/16 Valuers’ office notebook, Cookstown UD, 1901-10
28 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ 1902- (Belfast News-Letter, 1902- )
29 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
30 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
31 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
32 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
33 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
34 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
35 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
36 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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a detached two-storey former house and doctors surgery, built c.1804, now used as a funeral directors. This is a well composed example of a modest late-Georgian town house. The significant loss of original detail and the degrading of the setting with the loss of the original garden features mean that it does not merit listing, but it still contributes to the historic character and appearance of the area.