French Connection, 26-28 Corn Market, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 4DD

A three storey, with attic, commercial building on Cornmarket at the junction with Ann Street. Built in c.1882 in Italianate Neolassical style. Mansard hipped roof of natural slate, lead ridges set behind parapet topped by metal rails; corner dormer with lead cladding to sides, stucco front with moulded pediment on brackets flush with face of building; pedimented dormer to east sits behind parapet. Rainwater goods concealed. Walls are painted stucco; deep moulded cornice with dentilled frieze; divided into bays by giant order pilasters on faceted plinths, decorated above the capitals with guilloche moulding divide each bay. Decorated apron panel at second floor level and moulded strings. The windows to the second floor are arched with moulded archivolts, fluted bracket keystones, fretted floral aprons; the first floor windows are square headed with fluted bracket keystones. The attic window is 2 paned, the remaining windows are original 3 paned timber casements with overlights, the corner ones of curved glass. The ground floor has a modern fascia with plate glass windows between rendered piers. The main south elevation is 3 windows wide with the curved corner window to the west. The parapet has an upstanding pier to the second pilaster. The secondary west elevation is 2 windows wide. The north elevation is abutted by a building. The east elevation is abutted by a tall building. Setting The corner building sits hard on the east side of pedestrianised Cornmarket turning into Ann Street, N of Arthur Square. On the opposite side of Ann Street is a Masonic Hall (HB26/50/039B), on the opposite side of Arthur Square is Mayfair (HB26/50/096). Schedule: Roof: Natural slate Walls: Render Windows: Timber RWGs: Unseen.