46 James Street, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, BT80 8LT

This late Victorian building is a well-proportioned three-storey former house dating from around 1896, now in use as a House of Prayer. It is one of three matching properties forming a short terrace along James Street in Cookstown, all of which retain a large proportion of their original lively detailing and have group value together.

The building is roughly rectangular in plan, stretching back to the east with a two-storey lean-to return of the same date. It has a rear yard accessed via an integral coach arch as part of the adjacent building. The terrace sits within a longer row of mixed Victorian buildings and forms part of the commercial edge of Cookstown, positioned on the rising sloped pavement to the eastern side of James Street.

The west elevation fronting James Street is composed at ground floor of a doorway to the right and windows to the left. The shallow-pointed arched doorway has a panelled timber door and overlight with chamfered cut-granite surrounds. The windows are paired with shallow-pointed arches and 1/1 timber sash frames, similarly dressed in stone. Above the window is a painted shop-style signboard. The upper levels contain shallow arched windows with 1/1 timber sliding sash frames, the upper sashes containing coloured glass in a checkered pattern.

Detailing to the frontage includes a stone string course at first floor and a projecting stone string course at second floor with a dentilled eaves course. The second floor displays two roundel windows with cut-stone surrounds, each having a carved timber quatrefoil frame and stained glass window. A paired window at second floor level is set beneath a small gablette with decorative carved painted timber bargeboard.

The ground floor of the front wall is faced with rock-faced squared granite rubble. Upper floors are faced with red clay brick with stone string courses and dressings. All original brick chimneys have been removed. The stepped rear east elevation is faced with smooth render with an irregular arrangement of timber sliding sash windows. The main roof is artificial slate with cast-iron rainwater goods.

The two-storey lean-to return is faced with dry dash render and contains a 1/1 timber sash window with margin panes. Its roof is natural slate with original cast-iron downpipes.

The building is documented in the 1897 valuation book as a house and yard with rateable value of £19, then occupied as a tenant property. Edward Liddle was the leaseholder and presumed developer, whilst Henry M. Raphael was the tenant. In 1910, Robert J. Lindsay acquired the lease of all three matching houses. Peter Cosgrove held the leases from 1936, with Henry N. Raphael noted as occupant of this property. R. Stewart Twigg and Richard H. Twigg followed in 1941, with Dr. John Flanagan occupying the property from 1964 until at least 1972.