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

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a terraced two-storey house, built c. 1850. It is now in use as an accountant’s office. It is roughly rectangular in plan with a two-storey rough-cast rendered return to the rear. External walls are painted render. The building is set back from Loy Street behind a low rendered wall with a small front garden.

External walls are painted render to the front elevation, and dry-dash render to the rear. There is artificial slate to roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. There is a brick chimney to the North with profiled stepped capping.

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

The rear West elevation is obscured by the rear return.

Return:
The two-storey pitched return is gable-ended to the West. There is an assortment of replacement aluminium windows. There is artificial slate to the roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. Walls are dry dash render. There is a rendered and brick chimney to the apex of the return.

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 a neighbouring 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 solicitor named 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. The Smiths went on to occupy this, the smaller house to the south (initially rated at £8). In 1897, the lease was taken over by an Edward Liddle and an Alexander Williamson is recorded as the occupant. Williamson was followed by a Henry A. Mann in 1899, and in 1912 the lease was acquired by Hugh Donnelly, the occupant of the larger house. In 1915 a David Montgomery is noted as the tenant, followed by a Thomas McGarvey in 1924, W.H. Taylor in 1943, and a William J. Eastwood in 1947. In 1953 a Rev J. McGurk is noted as the tenant; remaining there 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 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. It has been substantially altered inside and to the rear, reducing its architectural and historic value.

General comments

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