68-70 Royal Avenue, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 1DJ

A four storey, with attic, commercial building, 1885, designed by William Fennell in Classical style. It sits in a terrace on the west side of Royal Avenue at the end of a row of listed buildings. Pitched natural slate roof to east, front; mansard roof, brick copings, modern rooflights to rear; tall, deep brick chimneys with moulded cornices to each gable; cast iron rainwater downpipe. Walls of Dumfries sandstone ashlar; Venetian windowed dormer, flanked by urn parapet, has 1884 carved in pediment, and vestiges of foliate decoration to spandrel (northern lost); deep bracketed cornice; elevation framed by pilasters with mouldings at first floor; moulded string courses and architraves; foliate carved roundel over second floor central window. Window openings vary: third floor has paired square headed windows either side of smaller central window; second floor has same grouping with segmental arched lintels to side windows with foliate impost mouldings; first floor windows in same grouping but of equal height, square headed with rounded corners. Windows 2 pane 1/1 original timber sashes with horns. Ground floor replacement shop front between original pilasters. East elevation is symmetrical comprising 5 windows centred on pedimented dormer. Central entrance. The north elevation is abutted and obscured by a modern construction replacing a former four storey, ashlar stone Italianate building known as Crown Chambers (HB26/50/181). The west elevation has full height central lean-to projection, dormer window. Walls are cement rendered with a single 1/1 sash timber window to each floor of set back walls. The south elevation is abutted and obscured by a Nos 72-74 (HB26/50/183). Setting 68-70 sits directly on to the pavement on the west side of the major commercial street of Royal Avenue. The building is bounded on the north by Gresham Chambers (HB26/50/183) and to the south by Nos 58-66. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Sandstone Windows: Timber RWG: Cast iron.