Castlereagh Police Station, 2 Alexander Road, Belfast, BT6 9HH

Castlereagh Police Station, 2 Alexander Road, Belfast, is a large mid-20th century complex built in 1957–58 for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It was designed by the Chief Architect's Branch, Works Division, Ministry of Finance, Government of Northern Ireland, under the direction of chief architect Charles Munro. The complex comprises a police station together with an office block and headquarters for the City Commissioner. The building is not listed.

The complex consists of a rectangular three-storey block (the police station) in rustic brick, linked to a lower curved two-storey block (the office block) with natural stone gables, all under flat roofs. The two main entrances face different directions: the curved office block's principal entrance faces south, and the rectangular police station block's principal entrance faces west.

Curved Office Block

The south elevation of the curved block is symmetrical, consisting of 21 bays of curtain glazing divided by projecting fins of artificial stone blocks. The glazing rises from a projecting base of two courses of unpolished granite and carries a projecting flat concrete roof. The blocking course of the roof is covered with asphalt and surmounted by tubular steel railings, which appear to be a later addition. The curtain glazing itself is a modern replacement of around 1990, with wide PVC frames and opaque panels not matching the original pattern; the original thin steel frames have been lost.

The main entrance to the curved block sits in the ground floor of the centre bay. It comprises a pair of glazed rectangular doors with vertical slats, with sidelights and a fanlight, all in stained hardwood, set on an unpolished granite step with a concrete-paved open porch in front. The entrance porch is single storey, open to each side, with a screen wall to the front carrying a flat concrete roof with canopies canted up to each side. The screen wall is of polished granite with a central recessed panel of perforated Portland stone blocks, inscribed with the date 1957; a carved crest was originally set into this panel but has been recently removed. Unpolished granite steps to each side have polished granite copings covering tubular steel handrails, which also appear to be a later addition. Circular glass rooflights sit in square recesses in the ceiling of the porch roof. Each bay flanking the main entrance has a polished granite planter at its base.

At the extremities of the south elevation, the natural stone gables project forward. A mason's mark is inscribed at the base of the left-hand gable.

Extending to the right of the curved block and set back is a curved single-storey east wing in rustic brick on a blue brick base, with projecting eaves of flat concrete roof; spalled areas of this roof reveal iron reinforcing rods. The windows are rectangular steel, including a long horizontal band at the curved corner, with projecting concrete cills.

The north gable of the curved block is two storeys high, constructed of random rubble — described in the press at the time of completion as stone from Craigantlet in County Down — comprising green schist and basalt, with a thin concrete coping. The ground floor has two windows: original rectangular steel-framed units each comprising a fixed light with a side-hung vent, projecting concrete cills, and flush concrete lintels. Along the base of the gable is a concrete-paved area with a retaining wall of original concrete brickwork.

The rear elevation of the curved block is two storeys, of rustic brick on a low projecting base of blue brick with a tile coping, with projecting concrete eaves to the flat roof above and cast iron downpipes. Windows are rectangular, set in slightly recessed full-height panels. Some windows are original steel, comprising fixed lights, top vents, and side-hung casements; others are recent PVC replacements of thicker section, though to the original pattern.

The south gable of the curved block is similar to the north gable, but with one window at first-floor level: a rectangular unit of new replacement PVC in place of the original steel frames, set in a concrete or cement-rendered surround with an original projecting concrete cill. The ground floor is partly obscured by an original projecting single-storey building in rustic brick on a slightly projecting blue brick base, with oversailing eaves to a flat concrete roof above.

The rear elevation of the curved block has two two-storey returns in rustic brick. The return at the north end forms a link to the main rectangular block. To the east of that is a return forming a link to a more recent control centre, built of rustic brick on a blue brick base, with curved corners and a flat roof. At the eastern extremity is an original flat-roofed curved single-storey return in rustic brick with a projecting porch facing north, linking with a single-storey rectangular block in similar materials but with an asphalt-covered segmental roof. This rectangular block has high-level horizontally banded original steel windows to the west elevation and original steel curtain glazing to the east elevation.

Main Rectangular Block (Police Station)

The main rectangular block is three storeys. Its south elevation is of rustic brick on a base of unpolished granite, with a concrete coping to the flat roof. Windows are rectangular and original steel — except for one PVC replacement — comprising fixed lights, side-hung casements, and top-hung vents, with projecting concrete cills to the upper floor and flush concrete lintels. Ground-floor windows are of similar steel but set in blue brick panels divided by projecting concrete fins, carried on a projecting granite base and supporting a projecting concrete head. The main entrance, placed centrally, comprises a panelled and glazed hardwood door set in similar sidelights and a fanlight, approached by concrete steps under a flat timber canopy carried on steel posts; the entrance and porch appear to be a later addition.

The west elevation is faced with artificial ashlar stonework on a slightly projecting unpolished granite base, recessed between the projecting rustic brick walls of the long north and south elevations. Windows are rectangular steel coupled side-hung casements set in continuous projecting timber surrounds, though the windows to the left-hand side have just been replaced in PVC, not to the original pattern. The main entrance on this elevation is central, comprising a rectangular panelled door flanked by recessed side panels of rustic brick, surmounted by a flat projecting canopy, above which is a large window panel of steel-framed curtain glazing. The doorstep is of concrete slabs, approached by unpolished granite steps with unpolished granite retaining walls.

Projecting forward at the left of the end gable is a flat-roofed two-storey curved bay in rustic brick on a slightly projecting unpolished granite base. The first floor has three windows at the front: new replacement rectangular PVC units set in a flush plane but with curved concrete lintels and cills. The ground floor has a horizontal band of windows, also new replacement PVC, set within a continuous projecting surround. Extending to the left of this curved bay is a single-storey wing of similar walling with similar replacement PVC windows.

The rear elevation of the main rectangular block is of rustic brick on a blue brick base. Rectangular windows were originally steel, of similar pattern to the front elevation, but are currently being replaced in PVC. Cast iron downpipes are present.

The east end elevation of the main rectangular block is three storeys, of similar brick, with a taller projecting stair bay. The stair window is a large expanse of curtain glazing with original steel members, though including some later aluminium replacements.

Standing to the north and joined to the main rectangular block by a first-floor link is a former telephone exchange of two storeys, in rustic brick, with a panelled roughcast ground floor. All windows have been replaced in PVC.

Setting

The building occupies a corner site within a built-up area. The boundary to the south and west is formed by an original low wall of rustic brick surmounted by later steel fencing. The area within the compound is entirely covered with tarmac, with various temporary or prefabricated buildings in places. The northern boundary is formed by a high rustic brick wall, and the eastern boundary by a rustic brick wall surmounted by later steel fencing.

The original gateway toward the eastern end of the south boundary comprises a pair of rectangular piers of rustic brick on granite bases. At the east end along the northern boundary is a pitched-roofed garage of rustic brick with rectangular steel windows, a steel-trussed roof, and steel framing inside. To the west of the garage is a later two-storey building known as the holding centre, set within a rustic brick-walled compound. At the west end of the site is a pair of semi-detached houses in rustic brick with concrete-tiled roofs and rectangular windows, some original steel and some new PVC.