Belmont Hotel, Rathfriland Road, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 3LH

Belmont Hotel, Rathfriland Road, Banbridge

A two-storey over basement Victorian house built in 1838 to the designs of Thomas Jackson. The building is of square plan form with a prostyle tetrastyle Ionic portico to its principal elevation. It is situated in the southeast part of Banbridge town centre, with its entrance adjacent to the mini-roundabout junction with Kenlis Street. A modern conference centre adjoins the rear.

The roof is hipped with natural slate covering, clay hip and ridge tiles, and cast-iron ogee moulded rainwater goods fixed to overhanging eaves with plain soffits and paired eaves brackets; the chimneys have been removed. The walls are of ashlar channel rusticated sandstone with a tooled plat band. The principal elevation faces southeast and is symmetrically arranged, with a centrally positioned double-leaf timber front door featuring round-headed glazed upper panels and a square-headed overlight with moulded architrave flanked by pilasters. The door is accessed via the prostyle tetrastyle Ionic portico with entablature and pilaster responds. The ground floor has 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with horns and masonry cills to either side of the door, and 6/6 timber sliding sash windows with horns and masonry cills elsewhere on this floor. Three first floor windows are positioned directly above the portico. The southwest elevation is smooth rendered with projected long-and-short quoins and projected plinth, abutted by two hipped-roof two-storey two-bay subservient blocks flanking a single-storey flat-roofed infill block between them, all with lower eaves and ridge levels than the main house. The right subservient block has two 1/1 timber sliding sash windows to its southeast cheek facing the principal elevation on both ground and first floors. Its southwest elevation comprises a tri-partite 2/4 sliding sash window to the right and a replacement door to the left, while its northwest elevation overlooks the flat-roofed infill block. The infill block comprises casement high-level glazing with a tripartite landing window over to the main block, and features a timber sheeted water storage enclosure above. The left subservient block has two first floor windows to its southeast face, a blank southwest elevation, and various sized first floor windows to the northwest elevation. The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged with three first floor windows and an escape door located left of centre, served by a metal escape stair. The ground floor is partially abutted by a modern flat-roof single-storey block adjoining a double-height conference centre. The right elevation is symmetrically arranged with five windows wide to both floors; a central ground floor window has been altered.

The house commands an elevated setting overlooking the former bleach green and weaver's factory, with extensive mature lawns. Access is via a long sweeping driveway from a gateway with panelled tapered masonry piers with pyramidal caps and associated railings (gates missing). Adjacent to the gateway is a single-storey hipped roofed stucco-rendered gate lodge with pilaster mouldings. The former linen stores, set to the west of the main house and integral to Banbridge's linen heritage, are glimpsed in views from the property. A small car park addresses the principal elevation, with a larger car park to the rear. The immediate context comprises a maintained landscape of lawn and trees.