Church House and Assembly Hall, Fisherwick Place, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 6DW

Church House and Assembly Hall is a detached multi-bay three-storey with attic Neo-Gothic sandstone Presbyterian Assembly Building, dated 1905. It has two principal elevations facing Fisherwick Street (west) and Howard Street (south), with a square-plan three-stage clock tower at the southwest corner surmounted by a repoussé crown steeple. The building is rectangular on plan with secondary elevations fronting Upper Queen Street and Wellington Street, forming a quadrangular city block.

The building has a variety of natural slate roofs with multiple pitches covering the different elements along all four elevations, and a flat-roofed section to the centre with a glazed dome. Cast-iron box hoppers and square-profile downpipes break through all parapet walls. The walls are random uncoursed squared rock-faced sandstone ashlar with smooth sandstone trim to the projecting plinth course and continuous string courses between floors. Window openings are square-headed and Tudor-arched, transomed and mullioned with cusped-headed multi-light sandstone frames and leaded lattice steel casement windows (except where stated otherwise).

The Clock Tower

The tower is square on plan with engaged octagonal piers to the corners and surmounted by an openwork copper repoussé crown steeple with an octagonal lantern and tapering spirelet, all decorated with copper crockets. The steeple is set behind a crenellated and blind arcaded parapet wall with four octagonal turrets to the corners and a further four rising behind each parapet, all with small gargoyles—those to the corners surmounted by crocketed stone finials. At the base of the parapet wall is a continuous concave string course with floral motifs and gargoyles projecting from each corner.

The upper level has single Tudor-arched openings with five lights, continuous hood moulding rising to a poppy-head finial set within cusped-headed blind arcading and resting on a splayed sill with lion-head course below. Below the upper window to the west is an iron clock-face with Roman numerals.

The middle stage corresponds to the first and second floors of the main building and has a Gothic-arched opening to the south elevation with recessed tripartite window frame opening onto a shallow stone balcony supported by angel heads and having trefoil panels filled with shields of various Irish counties. Below is a pair of Gothic-arched window openings with hood mouldings, foliate label stops and bipartite windows.

The Tudor-arched door opening to the ground floor (south) has a hardwood glazed door flanked by engaged columns and a decorative cusped-headed overpanel with figurative label stops. The west elevation has a pair of Tudor-arched window openings to the middle stage—bipartite to the upper level, five-light to the lower level. To the lower stage is an inscribed marble panel stating 'The Presbyterian Church in Ireland Church House and Assembly Hall 1905'. The panel is set in a foliate carved frame and flanked by angled pinnacles.

Principal West Elevation

The west elevation is seven windows wide, surmounted by a crenellated parapet wall broken by a gabled end bay to the north, central gabled entrance bay and gabled breakfront oriel to south.

The gabled bay to the north is framed by full-height piers surmounted by corbelled octagonal tourelles in turn surmounted by conical pinnacles. There is a Gothic-arched two-light window opening to the gable. Two pairs of mullioned windows to the second floor have flat hood mouldings. Ground floor and first floor windows are set within a single sandstone frame with a Tudor-arched five-light window to the first floor. The ground floor also has a five-light window with a later door opening and is surmounted by five panels with heraldic shields.

The central entrance bay is surmounted by a crenellated gable and poppy-head finial, flanked by square turrets with gargoyles to the base and surmounted by four-sided sprocketed stone pinnacles. To ground, first and second floors is a full-height Tudor arch filled with oriel windows and elaborate carvings. The compound moulded Tudor-arched front entrance has a deeply set archivolt embellished with foliate mouldings and a central angel with Celtic knotwork to the spandrels. The door opening is flanked by diminutive niches with pinnacles and poppy-head finials.

The first floor has three bowed trefoil-headed oriel windows rising from corbelled bases filled with figurative carvings and a date shield to the centre stating '1905'. Square panels above the oriels have carved heraldic shields and a crenellated triple bowed parapet wall fronting the recessed windows to the second floor. The deeply set arch is embellished with carved heads while the first and second floor is framed by vertical panels filled with carved grotesques surmounted by pinnacles and lions, crossing the arch as a billet moulding and meeting as a large foliate finial with ribbon carving stating 'Ardens Sen Virens'. There are replacement double-leaf doors with raised-and-fielded panels surmounted by a cusped leaded overlight.

The remainder of the west elevation has mullioned windows to the second floor, with transoms to first and ground floors. Drip moulds over are appropriate to profile (Tudor arched to ground floor, square-headed to upper floors). Window frames have hood mouldings and foliate stops. The south section has a central shallow breakfront oriel to the upper two levels surmounted by a carved panel depicting four heraldic shields with crowns and angels in turn surmounted by a gable flanked by pinnacles.

North Elevation

This secondary elevation has a recessed central section abutted by two gabled projections. The westernmost bay is three windows wide with three-light window openings to each level (each toplight is Tudor-arched). Adjacent is a gabled projection with a recessed door opening having a replacement timber window and doors surmounted by a plaque stating 'Presbyterian Church in Ireland Church House & Assembly Hall', and a four-light transomed and mullioned window over. There are largely cusped-headed three-light and five-light tracery windows to the recessed sections abutted by single-storey wings having square-headed window and door openings with vertically-sheeted hardwood doors.

The easternmost section is three windows wide with square-headed window openings to the upper floors having rock-faced voussoired heads and replacement timber casement windows. Tudor-arched window openings to the ground floor have steel grilles.

East Elevation

This four-storey secondary elevation is seven windows wide with each bay surmounted by a plain gable having lead-lined coping. There are broad Tudor-arched window openings to the third floor, segmental-headed to the first and second floors with replacement timber casement windows throughout. Modern shop units to the ground floor have voussoired heads over aluminium shop display windows. To the central bay is a Tudor-arched door opening with replacement glazed aluminium doors, wall-mounted lettering stating 'Fisherwick Buildings', hood moulding and figurative label stops with hood cornice.

The south end of the east elevation is attached to the main south elevation by a low crenellated link block. Detailing is plainer with a central gable having a simple pinnacle, three openings to each floor—those to the centre set in a shallow breakfront from first to third floors. Gothic headed openings to the ground floor include a central door opening.

Principal South Elevation

The main south elevation has detailing as the west, nine windows wide with a central gable lit by an oriel and framed by tourelles, all rising from first floor level and supported on corbelled bases. The east end is terminated by a two-storey pinnacled gabled end bay lit to the double-height upper floor by a large stained and leaded Perpendicular tracery window with enriched apron panels over a deep chamfered stone sill, and framed by engaged crenellated octagonal piers rising above eaves. There are two diminutive rectangular windows to either side of sill level, and a stepped string course running beneath. The ground floor has a symmetrical arrangement of two Tudor arched windows framing a central Gothic headed door opening with square-headed blind arcaded overpanel framed by enriched piers.

To the right of the terminating gable, the link block to the east wing is two-storey, having a mullioned window over a large sheeted opening. To the right of the terminating bay is a full height link with single cusped lights to upper floors over a Tudor-arched opening with ornamented head and trefoil roundels over, infilled with a modern window. Thereafter is a breakfront with tapered roof over, having a richly carved roundel panel to parapet level flanked by pinnacles stating 'The Word of God Which Liveth And Abideth'.

The south entrance is below, having a compound moulded surround, hood moulding with foliate label stops flanked by pinnacles rising to the second floor and elaborately carved spandrels. Replacement aluminium glazed doors open onto three stone steps.

The gabled central bay has a pair of square-headed transomed and mullioned windows beneath the oriel, with a Gothic-arched door to the left and a door with large rectangular mullioned transom to the right, both having double-leaf hardwood panelled doors opening onto two stone steps. Otherwise mullioned Tudor arched openings are irregularly arranged over ground, first and second floors, generally plainly detailed with label moulds, with exception of those to the ground floor which are detailed with cusped blind arcades over.

Setting and Materials

The building is located on a corner site with a principal west elevation fronting Fisherwick Place, principal south elevation fronting Howard Street, secondary elevation fronting Upper Queen Street and a secondary elevation fronting Wellington Street. The square-plan tower joins both principal elevations at the southeast corner. The roofs are natural slate. Rainwater goods are cast-iron. Walling is random coursed squared rock-faced sandstone ashlar. Windows are latticed leaded steel casements.