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

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced three-storey rendered former house, built c.1870. It is now in use as solicitors office. The building is rectangular in plan with a three-storey pitched return to the rear. There are several single-storey out-house buildings to the rear.
The building is part of three matching terraced buildings (HB09/14/007), located within a long row of mixed terrace buildings along the Western side of Loy Street.

Walling is cement rendered masonry. The roof is pitched and slated. There is a polychromatic brick chimney with profiled capping to the North.

The front West elevation is set back from the street, with a tarmac parking area to the front. It has a doorway to the right, and a projecting two-storey canted bay to the left. The doorway is semi-circular headed with a timber panelled door and an fanlight.
The canted bay contains 1/1 replacement uPVC casement windows. It is surmounted by a projecting carved stone cornice. Modern rectangular signage has been attached above the ground floor canted bay. The windows to the upper levels are square-headed. They contain replacement uPVC windows with concrete sills. Classical proportions reduce to upper levels.

The rear elevation has replacement uPVC windows.

Returns:
The main three-storey return is gable-ended. There are no window openings visible.

Setting:
The building is set within a mixed terrace, to the western side of Loy Street to the southern edge of the commercial centre of Cookstown. It is set back from the pavement to provide a tarmac parking area. The mixed terrace comprises mainly of two and three-storey Victorian buildings ranging in age from early to late nineteenth century.

Historical information

The site of this house and its two matching neighbours to the south is shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34. The valuation of 1835 records that there were two old thatched dwellings occupying the plot at that point, that to the south in the hands of a Mrs Story, that to the north a slightly larger building in possession of a David McCleland. By 1859 a William Bell was leasing the southern house from the Gunning-Moore estate, with an Elizabeth Ballantine leasing the neighbouring property.

The present uniform terrace of three dwellings was built in 1870 by John Ballantine, with the lease of all three acquired by a Richard Cluff c.1872. This particular property appears to have been originally occupied by a Robert Kennedy, then possibly by a G. [?H] Walsh c.1871, James R. Fox c.1871-3, James Troughton 1879, Elizabeth Morgan c.1880 and Richard Crossett 1882. In c.1895, the lease of the terrace passed to a Mary A. O’Neill, remaining with her until 1912 when it was taken over by a Richard Charles. In 1896, a Rev. A.W. Hobson became the occupant, followed by a Jane Cranston in 1897, Lizzie Glen 1905, George G. Raphael 1913, Andrew Charles 1924, Georgina Charles 1927, Dr. R. Kerr in 1929, J.P. Milligan 1941, Dr. T.A. MacLynn 1947 and Patrick McErlean, (who also acquired the lease), in 1949. Mr. McErlean was still in holding the property 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 anend of terrace three-storey rendered house, built c.1870. It is a well-proportioned example of a mid-Victorian terrace. Larger in scale than any of the modest surrounding two-storey houses, it has a prominent appearance. Although it is an example of the larger Victorian properties that began to appear as Cookstown rose in stature as a commercial centre, it has been altered significantly externally and internally to the extent that its quality has been degraded and it is of no special interest. When viewed with the adjacent matching terraced buildings (HB09/14/007B & C), it some group value and character.

General comments

This record was originally part of record number HB09/14/007.