7 Loy Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced three-storey rendered house, built c.1870. It is now vacant. The building is rectangular in plan. The return to the rear was not accessible. 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 Loy Street.

The front West elevation is set back from the street, with a small garden to the front. It has a square-headed doorway to the right, and a two-storey canted bay to the left.

The doorway is set within an elliptical-headed surround. It has a panelled timber door and an overlight.

The two-storey canted bay contains 2/2 timber sliding sash windows. The upper pane has coloured leaded glass. Each floor is surmounted by a projecting carved stone cornice. Signage has been incorporated above the ground floor canted bay.

The windows to the first floor are square-headed 2/2 timber sliding sash windows. The second floor has 2/1 sliding sash windows, as previous. All windows have cut-stone sills. Classical proportions reduce to upper levels.

The rear elevation has replacement uPVC windows.

The roof is pitched and slated, having a brick chimney with profiled capping to the South. External walls are painted render. There is a carved dentilled course to the eaves.

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 small garden. 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 north and 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 house was occupied by a relatively quick succession of tenants during its early years, including a John W. Waters, William Wadders [?or Waters], James [?]McKenzie, Michael Mullally, and Emma Gourley. In 1894 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. Ms. O’Neill took up residency within this house, staying until 1915 when a Michael Quin is recorded as the occupant. Quinn was followed by an Isabella Cluff in 1921, James D. Devlin 1925, Frank McCullagh 1929, ‘Head Constable’ Henry Close 1939, and Patrick Devlin, who also acquired the lease, in 1950. A William J. Eastwood snr is noted as occupier and leaseholder in 1952, and this remained as such until at least 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

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a terraced 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. The building survives in an unaltered condition and is significant in this part of the town as an example of the larger Victorian properties that began to appear as Cookstown rose in stature as a commercial centre. When viewed with the adjacent matching terraced buildings (HB09/14/007A&C), it has group value and character.

General comments

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