Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB09/07/002

Address :
Hanover House 24 Hanover Square, Coagh Cookstown Co Tyrone BT80 0EF

Townland:
Coagh

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
26/01/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
125/03

IG Ref:
H8911 7868

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

This is a two-storey five-bay house, built c. 1810, with attic and assorted returns and extensions. It is currently in use as a restaurant and shop. It is built of coursed rubble with brick detailing and a pitched fibre cement slate roof. It faces northeast and the main building is rectangular in plan. It has a two-storey gable ended return to the left side of the rear and extends into Number 22, a single-storey five-bay building to the southeast gable in line with the front of the house. A second building, possibly an original outbuilding, is behind and parallel to the same house, with the same form and proportions. It appears to have been extensively renovated and is finished in the same character as the main house. A two-storey modern brick return extends to the rear of this building and connects with a further stone building to the rear. The front northeast elevation is coursed rubble with a central semi-circular headed door opening with painted moulded timber surround. Within the opening is a square-headed timber panelled door with a fanlight. The door surround comprises a pair of pilasters with a cornice at door head height from which the moulded arch over the fanlight springs. Above this is a stringcourse of red brick voussoirs. A modern period style electric lamp has been mounted to each side of the door. The windows are six-over-six timber sash with painted cut-stone sills and red brick surrounds. There are two to each side of the doorway, and five more to the first floor directly above the ground floor openings. There is extensive but controlled ivy growth over this elevation. The side northwest gable elevation is unpainted render at attic level, coursed rubble below and extensively covered with ivy. There are two small one-over-one timber sash windows with brick surrounds and unpainted cut-stone sills to the attic. There is one six-over-six timber sash window to ground and to first floor level. These have no surrounds and a metal grille protects the lower. The two-storey return is in line with and slightly behind this elevation. It is coursed rubble and features a square-headed door opening with timber tongue and grooved sheeted door, a square-headed window opening to the ground floor and two more above. The upper windows have six-over-six timber sash windows as before, the lower a casement and grille. An ivy-covered stone wall extends to the right of this return, connecting with the gable of the parallel building to the rear. There is a door opening in this wall similar to that of the return. The parallel block to the rear of Number 24 appears to have original stonework to its gable and has been extensively rebuilt in stone to its front southwest elevation with new semi-circular headed door openings and modern uPVC windows. To the rear of this building, the southwest corner of the complex, is a single-storey garage type stone outbuilding with coursed rubble walls; there is a pitched slate roof and segmental-headed opening with brick surrounds to its northeast gable. Number 22 extends to the southeast in line with number 24 and is part of the same building. It is single-storey coursed rubble with a pitched slate roof and blank stone gable, partially rebuilt. The front northeast elevation has a central semi-circular headed door opening with two square-headed window openings to each side. Windows are replacement timber with painted cut-stone sills and replacement brick surround. The door is a replacement double timber panelled door with fanlight over. The door is accessed via three cut-stone steps. External walls are generally coursed rubble with brick detailing. Some areas are unpainted render and part of the rear extension is in brown brick. The roof is fibre cement slate and pitched to the main house and two-storey return, artificial slate is also used to some of the extended and/or renovated areas. There are three brick chimneystacks to the main roof, one to the apex of each gable and one to the centre of the ridge. There is another on the gable of the main return. Each chimney has a pair of ornate clay pots. Rainwater goods are a mixture of cast-iron and plastic. Setting: The building faces Hanover Square and is set back in line with the other buildings on the southwest side of the square, with a garden in front. To the rear is the complex of returns, extensions and outbuildings, with a yard accessed by a lane to the northwest side of the complex. Its neighbours are mostly two-storey houses. A low stone wall with cut-stone coping and iron railing above encloses the front garden. An ornamental cast-iron pedestrian gate opens onto a stone path to the front door. Number 22 sits slightly higher than number 24 and a stone wall and two steps in the garden show the transition.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This site is shown developed on the OS map of 1833-34 and all others to date. Originally two separate properties, the first valuation of c.1833 states that the larger, taller, property was regarded as relatively newly-built at that point (i.e. dating from within the previous 25 years or so), with that to the south-east, considerably older- possibly 18th century. It is, possible, particularly given its asymmetrical appearance, that the larger building incorporates the fabric of an earlier structure, however to all intents and purposes it appears to be a late Georgian structure of c.1800 or slightly later. In the aforementioned valuation the larger builiding is noted as occupied by a Mrs. Newton and its dimensions are given as 58½ft x 26½ x 19½ for the main block, with returns of 26½ x 20 x 21 and 30 x 10½ x 7, ‘offices’ [outbuildings] of 30½ x 21 ½ x 14½ and 30½ x 21½ x 14½, sheds of 23½ 13½ x 6, and 37 x 19 x 11, an old thatched ‘cart house’ of 13½ x 13 x 6½, with another slated one of 19 x 13½ x 7, and a piggery measuring 19 x 7 x 4; the rateable value is given as a very respectable, £29-5-0, although this was dropped to £18 in the 1838 revision to the valuation. The smaller building, a ‘bad house’ which also contained a shop, is noted as measuring 48½ x 25½ x 16, with a return of 16 x 17½ x 6, and thatched outbuildings of 41½ x 17½ x 6, 14½ x 14½ x 5. At that stage the lease of the property was held by a James Ekin [Aiken] from the Conyingham (Springhill) estate, but the building itself was unoccupied. Its rateable value is given as £6-7-5, however, this rose to £8 in the 1838 revision. The Newton family retained the larger building until 1904, when it was either bought by, or passed to, a Robert Burgess. Its neighbour, meanwhile, was divided into two concerns some time prior to 1859, with the northern section listed as ‘unoccupied’ and ‘dilapidated’ in that year (and rated at £4), with a Margaret McDaid residing within the southern portion (which was rated at £2). By 1862, however, it is recorded as a single property once again, in the hands of a Samuel Aiken. The following year the lease was acquired, (or passed to), Robert Newton, the leaseholder of the larger house. It remained with the Newtons until 1923 when a Fred Burnett is listed as the occupant, and in 1926 when the freehold was acquired by the Duff Brothers, local mill owners. Sometime between 1929 and 1935, (there is a countrywide hiatus in the valuations during these years), the Duff Brothers acquired the lease of the larger house also, with a Mary G. Duff following Mrs. M.G. Burgess as the occupant in 1956, and remaining there up until at least 1972. In c.1977-78 the building was sold (or passed to) a Mr. T.B. Gibson, who converted the amalgamated property to a restaurant / guest house which the current owner purchased in 2000. The smaller building appears to have ceased to be used as a dwelling when it and its larger neighbour came under the same ownership, c.1930. Its present arrangement of openings are recent, the window openings replacing some squat, high-level openings which appear to have been inserted in the later 1970s. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL/1B/620B First valuation, Tamlaght parish, c.1833 2 PRONI VAL/1D/6/4 First valuation plan of the town of Coagh, c.1838 3 PRONI VAL/2B/6/27 Second valuation, Tamlaght parish, 1859 [The original handwritten valuers’ notes for the town of Coagh appear to be missing (they are not held at PRONI). The second valuation details for the town are available in printed form- however this published volume does not include the dimensions of buildings, valuers’ comments etc.] 4 PRONI VAL/2C/6/4 Second valuation, Union of Cookstown, [published volume], 1859 5 PRONI VAL/2D/6/6 Second valuation plan of the town of Coagh 6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4A Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1860-63 7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4B Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1864-79 8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4C Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1880-81 9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4D Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1882-91 10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4E Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1892-98 11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4F Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1899-1912 12 PRONI VAL/12E/169/1 Valuation plan of the town of Coagh, 1904(-08) 13 PRONI OS/8/79/1 OS town plan of Coagh, 1908 14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4B Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1913-29 15 PRONI VAL/3B/7/4 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Coagh ED, 1935 16 PRONI VAL/3C/7/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Coagh ED, 1936-57 17 PRONI VAL/4B/6/6 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Coagh ED, 1957-72 Secondary sources 1 Coey, Alistair, Oram, Richard and Pierce, Richard, ‘Taken for granted…’ (NIHBC, 1984), p.41

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Externally this building is substantially in original condition. Renovations and extensions have been carried out in a sensitive manner and the complex retains its character and integrity. Whilst little of historic interest remains to the interior, the exterior and particularly the front elevation are intact. It is a fine example of rubble stonework and classical proportions in a Georgian town house. The setting is also well preserved and this building occupies a prominent position within the village.

General Comments

Date of Survey

06 February 2008