Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB09/13/004

Address :
Court House, 2-4 Chapel Street Cookstown Co Tyrone BT80 8QD

Townland:
Loy

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
24/10/1975 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Court House

Former Use
Court House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
124/07

IG Ref:
H8113 7786

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

This is a detached two-storey rock-faced sandstone courthouse, built c.1900 to the designs of architect Vincent Craig. It is roughly rectangular in plan with a square tower to the Northwest corner. There is a two-storey pitched return to the rear East. This return has a single-storey lean-to extension to the North, and a further single-storey glazed lean-to to the south. There is a further single-storey hipped return beyond this to the rear East, and an additional single-storey (boiler house) extension attached to the rear. To the front of the building there is a single-storey hipped roof security sanger. The courthouse is set back from the main road behind a high security fence. It forms part of a mixture of two-storey buildings along Chapel Street. External walls are rock-faced stone with cut-stone quoins to edges. It is set on a chamfered cut-stone base. The roofs of the main building are natural slate with pierced clay ridge tiles. There is a projecting chimney to the gable-end with profiled stepped capping and clay pots. The front East elevation is street fronted. It has a hipped two-storey tower to the left, and a pitched and two-storey composition to the right. The ground floor of the tower has a square-headed door and overlight, set within a later single storey projecting squared bay. There is carved stone cornicing to the eaves of the bay, which continues in a string-course around the elevation. The upper level has a segmental-headed paired window, with a chamfered sill, cut-stone surrounds and 1/1 timber sash frames. There is a blind roundel to the tower, located above the first floor windows. It has a cut-stone surround. The upper corners of the tower have bartizan- like features supporting projecting overhanging eaves. There is a projecting carved stone arched dentilled course to the eaves. The main façade to the right has square-headed windows to the ground floor, with chamfered cut-stone sills and cut-stone surrounds. The upper floor has segmental-headed paired windows, with chamfered sills and surrounds as previous. All windows have 1/1 timber sash frames. There is a dormer to the centre of the composition with a blind roundel to the centre, as previous. The side North elevation has three sections; the turret and hipped bay to the right, the side of the main return and ground floor lean-to to the centre, and the side of the main single-storey hipped return to the left. The turret and hipped bay section has two square-headed windows set within a recessed round-headed window bay to the right. The round-headed recess has cut-stone surrounds. There is a further square-headed window to the left. The upper floor has a paired segmental-headed window to the right, with surround as previous. It also has a further square-headed window to the left. The central section has a square-headed doorway to the ground floor lean-to extension. The side elevation of the main building is visible behind. It has segmental-headed long narrow rectangular windows, with timber casement frames. The side elevation of the single-storey return is visible on the left. The rear East elevation is gable-ended and is largely obscured by the returns and extensions. There is a central chimney stack rising above the roofs of the extensions. The side South elevation has a single-storey glazed modern extension to the ground floor. This is set on a rendered wall. The upper level has segmental-headed windows with timber frames. Returns: The East elevation of the two-storey hipped L-shaped return has an integral timber window and door to the ground floor. There are square-headed 1/1 timber sash windows to the first floor. There is artificial slate to the roof with pierced clay ridge tiles. The West elevation abuts on to the main building. There is a square-headed doorway to the left, which is accessed via several steps behind a stone wall. The North elevation is blank. The single-storey hipped return is ruled-and-lined render. There are painted 1/1 timber sash frames set on cut-stone sills. It has an artificial slate roof as previous. Extension: The single-storey boiler house extension to the rear has ruled-and-lined render. Setting: The building is set within a mixed terrace, to the eastern side of Chapel Street to the southern edge of the commercial centre of Cookstown. It is set back from the pavement behind a high-rise security fence. The mixed terrace comprises mainly of two and three-storey Victorian buildings ranging in age from early to late nineteenth century.

Architects

Craig, Vincent

Historical Information

This former court house was built in 1900 to a design by architect Vincent Craig and County Surveyor, J.W. Leebody. The contractors were Messrs Stewart of Belfast, and the cost of construction amounted to £3,500. The building replaced an earlier ‘Police Barrack & Court House’ which was situated on the south side of Molesworth Street, to the rear of the present no.19. (and which is marked on the OS map of 1857). References- Primary sources 1. Tyrone Constitution, 11th Mrach 1898. 2 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99 3 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets] 4 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07 5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15 6 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets] 7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29 8 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets] 9 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57 10 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51 11 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72 12 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), p.29 2 Rowan, A.J., ‘The buildings of Ireland – North west Ulster’, (London, 1979), p.217 3. Brett, CEB. 1973. Court Houses and Market Houses of the Province of Ulster. P99, 101, illustration.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form J. Setting

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

This is a detached two-storey rock-faced sandstone courthouse, built c.1900 to the designs of architect Vincent Craig. This an unusual and attractive middle-scale late nineteenth-century civic architecture. It exhibits an eclectic Freestyle that incorporates an Italianate tower with medieval castle detailing and is very different to the Art Nouveau style for which the architect is best known. The external expression of the courthouse is enlivened by robust detailing that displays good quality masonry. The interior is, however, very plain and has been modernised in the mid Twentieth century, compromising the significance of the building.

General Comments

Date of Survey

21 December 2008