Belmont Tower, (Old Belmont Primary School), 82 Belmont Church Road, Belfast, County Antrim, BT4 3FG

Belmont Tower, formerly Old Belmont Primary School, is a gabled two-storey sandstone building in neo-Gothic style, constructed between 1892 to designs by architect Vincent Craig and built by the local firm Dixon & Campbell. It stands at the corner of Belmont and Belmont Church roads in Belfast.

The building has a regular plan form facing north, with a distinctive three-stage open belfry tower to its northeast end and a two-storey rendered extension to the rear. The pitched roof is finished with natural slate and angled red-clay ridge tiles, with raised stone verges. A projecting cornice supports ogee-shaped cast-iron guttering that discharges to circular downpipes. A Scrabo sandstone chimneystack with corbelled coping and red-clay chimney pots rises from the roofline, accompanied by two circular metal roof ventilators.

The walls are constructed of un-coursed rock-faced Scrabo sandstone with red Locharbriggs sandstone dressings, a string course, and a projecting plinth. Openings throughout are lancet windows with splayed sills and clear glazed square-paned leaded windows unless otherwise stated.

The principal elevation faces north with the tower positioned to the northwest corner. This elevation is a two-storey three-bay gable. The ground floor contains paired windows to the central bay and single windows to the first and third bays. The first floor features a large three-part plate-tracery window to the centre bay with a red sandstone apron carved with an inscription, and single trefoil windows to the first and third bays, each with an apron carved with the date '1890'. A small quatrefoil opening sits at high level within the gable.

The three-stage tower dominates the composition. Its large segmental-arch headed door opening faces north, with a Locharbriggs sandstone deep moulded hood and tympanum bearing the inscription "Belmont Public Elementary School". A square-headed diagonal-sheeted painted timber door opens onto the paved front yard. Two-stage buttresses occupy the corners. The first stage has a lancet window to the east. The second stage contains a clock face to the north and two square-headed windows to the east. The third stage comprises an open timber arcaded belfry with a hipped slate roof and metal weathervane.

The east elevation consists of seven bays. A single-bay two-storey rendered extension extends to the south end, and a projecting two-storey hipped natural slate roof stair-tower with metal finial projects to the north. A modern single-storey flat-roof entrance outshot to the first bay (south) features fully glazed side walls and a lancet door opening facing east fitted with a modern glazed door. A square-headed window to the first floor contains square-leaded stained glazing.

The second, third and fourth bays form a gable. The third bay has a square-headed window opening at ground floor, while the second and fourth bays have lancet windows at ground floor level. Three lancet openings occupy the first floor, with the centre window being taller. The fifth bay has a lancet window at ground floor and a square-headed window at first floor. Paired gables occupy the sixth and seventh bays, each with lancet windows to both floors. A chimneystack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots is incorporated into the sixth bay.

The extension to the south has single square-headed windows to the first and second floors. The stair-tower features a paired square-headed window at ground floor and a two-part plate-tracery window to the first floor with leaded stained glazing.

The west elevation comprises nine bays with a single-bay two-storey rendered extension to the south. The first bay (north) has a lancet window at ground floor and a square-headed window at first floor. Gables occupy the second, third and fourth bays, each with lancet windows to both floors. Chimneystack with corbelled coping and clay chimney pots are incorporated to the second and fourth bays. The fifth bay has a lancet window at ground floor and a square-headed window at first floor. The sixth, seventh and eighth bays form a gable with a square-headed opening to the centre and lancet openings to the sixth and eighth bays at ground floor. The ninth bay (south) has a square-headed door opening with a modern diagonal-sheeted door and fanlight opening onto a small platform with three steps; a square-headed window sits at first floor level. The modern extension to the south has a small round opening at first floor and a small square-headed window opening also at first floor.

The gabled two-storey rear elevation faces south and is rendered. It contains four modern circular windows at ground floor, two square-headed metal windows at first floor, and a single circular window to the attic.

The building occupies its own grounds, with a landscaped and paved yard to the north and a tarmac car park to the east. The main pedestrian entrance faces north onto Belmont Road, while the car entrance faces east onto Belmont Church Road. The site is enclosed by coursed, rock-faced sandstone walling topped with painted metal railings, including some original cast-iron railings to the north and east. A modern brick wall forms the southern boundary and fencing the western. Square stone piers support cast-iron gates at the main entrance and a refurbished metal gate to the car park.