Social Security Office, Fairhill Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, BT80 8AG

This is a detached rustic-brick single-storey social security office, built between 1938 and 1939 on the south side of Fairhill Road in Cookstown. It was designed by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Finance Chief Architects Branch as an Employment Exchange and first appeared in the valuation book in 1940. It remains in active use as a Social Security Office.

The building is a domestic-scaled example of inter-war government architecture, well-proportioned and detailed with pleasing symmetry, and represents an unusual smaller-scale example of the inter-war public buildings genre. Its continued public function adds to its significance.

The building comprises three distinct elements. The front block features a hipped roof in a U-shaped configuration with three hipped roof dormers to the attic storey at the central recess of the front elevation. This is joined by a single-storey flat-roofed link block to a two-storey flat-roofed rectangular block to the rear (south). A further single-storey flat-roofed entrance porch sits on the rear return.

The front (north) elevation is symmetrical and faces onto a car park. It is composed of a projecting bay to the left, a recessed single-storey bay at the centre, and a projecting bay to the right. The projecting bays contain square-headed replacement uPVC windows. A continuous cut-stone string course runs at window head level. All windows feature splayed brick voussoirs and are set on cut-stone sills. The central bay has a square-headed doorway with a recessed double timber glazed door.

The front block has brick walls with simple cut stone parapets to roofs. The roof is steeply hipped with red tiles. Cast-iron gutters, downpipes and hoppers are fitted throughout. Two further dormers are located on the west elevation of the link building.

The east elevation comprises three parts: the side elevation of the main hipped single-storey block to the left, the single-storey flat-roofed link building in the centre, and the side elevation of the two-storey flat-roofed block to the right. The main front block has square-headed replacement uPVC windows with a continuous cut-stone string course at window head level. All windows have splayed flat-arched brick voussoirs and are set on cut-stone sills.

The west elevation has four elements: the side elevation of the main hipped single-storey block to the right, the single-storey flat-roofed link building in the centre, the side elevation of the two-storey flat-roofed block to the left, and a further side elevation of the single-storey flat-roofed addition to the rear. The main front block has square-headed replacement uPVC windows with a continuous cut-stone string course at window head level. All windows feature splayed flat-arched brick voussoirs and are set on cut-stone sills. The flat-roofed link building has an assortment of replacement uPVC windows.

The rear (south) elevation is largely hidden by the returns and additions.

The rear two-storey block is constructed of different brick to the main front block. The west elevation of this return has an assortment of square-headed replacement uPVC windows to ground and first floor levels. A metal fire escape stair leads from ground to first floor. A square-headed door at first floor level has a two-light overlight. The rear elevation features a regular assortment of square-headed timber casement windows and an open corrugated polycarbonate porch extension to the left providing access to a doorway with a timber glazed door and rectangular overlight. Parapets to the eaves feature continuous metal guard rails supported off a continuous cut-stone cornice. The east elevation has an assortment of square-headed timber windows to ground and first floor levels. The northeastern corner of the return features a single-bay projecting storey.

The single-storey flat-roofed rear porch has one square-headed door opening to the west elevation with a plain timber door, and a square-headed double door to the north with timber double doors and a rectangular overlight.

The building is set back from the road behind a high metal fence. The front door is accessed via concrete steps with metal railings. There is tarmac to the rear yard.