55 James Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a rendered terraced two-storey house and shop, built c.1833. It was formerly used as a watchmakers and jewellers. It is rectangular in plan with two extensions to the rear West, built c. 1980. The first is a long rectangular three-storey extension. The second is a two-storey lean-to directly abutting the three-storey extension. The building forms part of a long row of mixed terrace buildings along James Street.

Walls are finished with roughcast render. The roof is pitched and slated with cast-iron rainwater goods.

The front East elevation is street-fronted. There is a shopfront to the ground floor. The shopfront has a recessed central doorway with a glazed and panelled timber door to the centre, and a rectangular overlight. There are large single-light shop windows to each side of the doorway, set on rendered stall risers. There are painted timber pilasters to each side of the shopfront surmounted by carved timber console brackets with floral motifs and projecting carved timber cornicing. The shopfront is surmounted by a painted timber fascia with a projecting carved timber cornice over. The cornice has a carved timber dentilled course.

There is a decorative painted timber clock and surround set over the shopfront. The surround is in the form of a triangular prism with one side face-fixed to the wall. Two exposed faces reveal a round clock with wrought iron fittings. Beneath the clock a decorative painted male figure is holding a clock in his hand and is looking over the doorway. The figure is surrounded by decorative foliage.

The upper levels have 1/1 timber sash windows set on cut-stone sills.

Return:
Both the rendered three-storey extension and the two-storey lean-to extension have an assortment of replacement uPVC windows set on cut-stone sills. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC. There is artificial slate to the roofs.

Setting:
The building is set within a mixed terrace, to the western side of James Street within the commercial centre of Cookstown. The mixed terrace comprises mainly of Victorian buildings ranging in age from early to late nineteenth century.

Historical information

The site of this building is shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34. Due to the nature of the town plan accompanying the first valuation of 1835, and the amount of later rebuilding within the vicinity, it is difficult to trace this building with complete accuracy. It appears to have been part of the larger, relatively newly-built property in the hands of a ‘watch and clockmaker’ named Samuel Brown, noted as measuring 30ft x 27½ x 19, with an outbuilding of 27½ x 15½ x 12 and rated at £9-16-0. With the accurately drawn OS-based plan used in the second valuation of 1859, we can say with some certainty that at that point the building was in place and in the possession of a Matthew Reid.

James McClelland, a ‘leather seller’ is recorded as the occupant in 1862, followed by Edward Woods (‘a milliner and dressmaker’) in 1877. In 1885 the lease passed to another watch and clockmaker, Andrew Charles, who subdivided the building to create this property, and a smaller one to the north side (which became a post office). Charles himself lived within this property, which, from 1890, also took in some of the rooms over the post office. In 1899 Charles had amalgamated the properties again. In 1924 a Thomas E. Elmes is recorded as the occupant, and four years later the lease of the whole building passed to a George Black, (‘watchmaker and jeweller’) with whom it appears to have remained until at least 1972.

It is likely that one of the building’s former occupants connected with clock and watch-making was responsible for the addition of the decorative clock to the front. The late Victorian appearance of this clock suggest that Andrew Charles, who resided here from 1885 to 1924, is the likeliest candidate, particularly seeing as he appears to have carried out other work to the building, most notably its division into two properties. Charles was probably responsible for the present shop front also.

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
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a rendered terraced two-storey house and shop, built c.1833. It was formerly used as a watchmakers and jewellers. This is an unusual example of a late Victorian house and shop. It has a dramatic decorative feature that advertised the previous use. Otherwise it is of modest scale and simple proportions. Although the front elevation and shopfront has been maintained, the alterations to the rear of the building detract from its interest. The interruption to the roofline by the rear three-storey extension detracts from the original character. A modest building, representing those typical of this late Georgian era in Cookstown, it adds much to the early 19th century character of the street scene. The survival of the clock feature elevates the building in importance and is the main feature of interest, supported by the well-detailed shop front. Its history is also of interest as a record of the changing circumstances of commerce in the town.