Gortaleagh, 17 Loy St, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, BT80 8PZ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a detached two-storey house, built c. 1891. It is now in use as a ‘Rural Development Office’. It is roughly rectangular in plan. It has a two-storey return to the rear Southwest. There is a two-storey extension to the rear Northwest. External walls are stone to the ground floor and brick to the upper floor. The building occupies a prominent location set back from Loy Street behind a low snecked stone and brick wall and an access drive.

External walls are rock faced and squared stone to the ground floor. There is brick to the upper levels. There is a projecting carved stringcourse between the ground floor and the first floor. The roof is slated and pitched with sandstone cresting and details. All gable-ends have faux half-timbered painted timber gables, carved timber fascia and a sandstone finial.

The front East elevation faces onto Loy Street. It has a two-storey canted bay to the left and a single-storey projecting squared bay to the right. There is a hipped roof to the squared bay. The windows to the ground floor are replacement uPVC with cut-stone chamfered surrounds. The first floor windows have carved brick and stone chamfered surrounds. There are cut-stone stringcourses at window base and window head level. Windows are replacement uPVC. There is painted half-timber gables to the gable-ends. The gable above the two-storey canted bay is projecting, and is supported off timber brackets. There are carved timber fascias and finials over.

The side South entrance elevation faces onto the car park. There is a door to the right with a projecting porch entrance bay. The porch is open to the gable end. Four-light coloured timber windows are set on a rock faced stone wall with a splayed cut-stone sill. The gable-end is supported off timber brackets with a carved timber fascia. The porch roof is slate with a carved stone finial to the apex.

There is a paired window to the left of the porch and a square-headed window to the right. All windows have replacement uPVC windows and chamfered cut-stone surrounds.

The side North elevation is obscured from view by the adjacent building. There is a metal fire escape stair visible.

The rear West elevation is obscured by the returns and an infill section between them.

Returns:
The two-storey return to the rear Southwest has an assortment of square-headed uPVC windows. Windows have chamfered cut-stone surrounds and sills, as previous. The South elevation has rock-faced and squared stone to the ground floor and brick to the first floor. The gable-end has decorative timber, carved timber fascia and finial to apex, as previous. The roof is hipped and pitched with cast-iron rainwater goods.

The two-storey extension to the rear Northwest is painted render. It has replacement uPVC windows and door. The roof is pitched and partially flat-roofed. It has replacement uPVC rainwater goods. There is a single-storey lean-to attached to the extension to house a boiler.

Setting:
The building is located on Loy Street, to the south of the commercial centre of Cookstown. It is set back from the road behind a rock faced stone and brick wall. There is a gated entrance with cut-stone pillars leading to a tarmac entrance drive with a car park to the South. The surrounding street comprises mainly of Victorian buildings ranging in age from early to late nineteenth century.

Historical information

This house, ‘Gortaleagh’, was built in 1891 by Dr. Charles H.P.D. Graves, and originally housed a dispensary. The identity of the architect is uncertain. The building remained in the possession of Dr. Graves until 1936, when the lease was acquired (or passed to) another doctor, John S. Glasgow, with whom it remained until at least 1972. The property is not recorded by the valuers as containing a dispensary after 1930.

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 detached two-storey house, built c. 1891. This is an example of a late 19th century house in a style based on Arts and Crafts but not in any great depth. Its siting set back from the road gives it added prominence and the mixture of stone, brick and timber dressings enlivens the external appearance. It has been subject to a number of alterations and is not of the best quality in design for this period.