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

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is an end-of-terrace two-storey former house, built c. 1850. It is roughly rectangular in plan with a two-storey return to the rear. There is a further single-storey lean-to extension to the rear. The building is set back from Loy Street behind a low rendered wall with a small front garden.

External walls are painted render. The rear elevation is unpainted dry-dash render. There is artificial slate to roof with extruded aluminium rainwater goods. Chimneys are brick with profiled stepped capping.

The front East elevation faces onto Loy Street. There is a carved recessed square-headed doorway to the ground floor with one window to the left and two to the right. The doorway is square-headed with a panelled timber door and an overlight. The windows are square-headed with 1/1 timber sash frames set on painted cut-stone sills. The upper levels have windows as previous.

The side North elevation is gable ended to the left with the side elevation of the return visible to the right. There is a brick chimney to the apex of the gable.

The rear West elevation has replacement uPVC windows.

Return:
The two-storey return has replacement uPVC windows. There is artificial slate to the roof with replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Walls are dry dash render. The return is set behind a rendered wall with concrete capping.

Extension:
The single-storey lean-to extension to the lower ground level has a square-headed door. There is artificial slate to the roof with modern rooflights. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC. An L-shaped rendered wall with concrete capping at ground level obscures the view of the walls of the extension.

Setting:
The house is set back behind a low rendered boundary wall to the West side of Loy Street. Access to the rear yard is via an integral coach arch as part of the adjacent building to the West.

Historical information

The site of this house and its neighbour to the south is shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34. The valuation book of 1835 tells us that at that point the plot was taken up with an old dwelling in the hands of a Thomas Black, measuring 52ft x 20½ x 16½, with outbuildings of 32½ x 18 x 14, 16½ x 16 x 7 and 21 x 12 x 8; the last two outbuildings were thatched, and the whole property was rated for valuation purposes at £8-7-5.

By 1859 the property on site was in the hands of a James Smith (leasing from the Gunning-Moore estate) and valued at £33-10-0. The large increase in the rateable value between the first and second valuations suggests that rebuilding may have taken place in the interim, and that the structure we see today was either built afresh between 1835 and 1859, or that the existing dwelling witnessed comprehensive refurbishment. In 1875, a J.B. Twigg became leaseholder and occupant and shortly afterwards added a ‘shed’ to the property, lifting the valuation to £34-10-0 in the process. In 1882, the lease passed to, or was acquired by, Margaret and Charlotte Smith, who subdivided the property, creating the separate dwellings we see today. To this, the larger house to the north, (initially rated at £22), they also added a small rear extension, by acquiring a room from the neighbouring property to the west.

The newly created dwelling is recorded in 1883 as occupied by a William John Hopper, with a George and Thomas James Hopper following in 1884, and a George R. Bear (a solicitor) in 1887, and Mary McVeagh 1889. In 1897 the lease was taken over by an Edward Liddle and a John Shaw is recorded as the occupant. Shaw was succeeded by a Hugh Donnelly in 1903, who acquired the lease of this and the smaller house to the south in 1912. Hugh Donnelly remained in residence until c.1956, when the lease was acquired by a T.J. Eastwood, who is also noted as occupying the house from that date up 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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a two-storey end-of-terrace house, built c. 1850. A modest house, representing those typical of this early Victorian era in Cookstown. Although it retains much of its original character in its front façade, it is a common type and not of special interest. There is evidence to suggest that it has been substantially altered inside, reducing its architectural and historic value.

General comments

This record was originally part of record number HB09/14/008.