5 College Park East, Belfast, BT7 1PS

5 College Park East, Belfast is a High Victorian mid-terrace house, now converted to university offices. Built in 1869 to a design by Young & MacKenzie, it is a two and a half storey structure constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond. The building is one of a group of six similar properties (including nearby Hope House in College Park), though these have now been integrated internally with modern additions constructed behind.

The house is positioned at the junction of College Park East and University Avenue, immediately south of Union Theological College and east of Queen's University's main buildings. The front elevation faces west onto College Park East, which overlooks a university car park.

The front (west) elevation is double-fronted and asymmetrical. A centrally located ground floor entrance is flanked by a two and a half storey canted bay on the left side. Above the canted bay sits a large half-timbered jettied dormer that extends above the eaves, with the top floor jettied forward. A smaller timber dormer appears on the right side, with a small modern rooflight positioned between the two dormers at attic level. The half-timbered dormer features convex chamfered corners infilled with brick in header detail, carved timber brackets beneath the timber bargeboard, a pointed timber finial to the centre, and exposed rafter ends. The smaller timber dormer is timber-clad to the apex with fish-scale vertical slates to the cheeks.

Windows throughout are timber sliding sash with horns, mostly 1/1 single-glazed and likely replacements. All have chamfered brick reveals except the dormer windows. The canted bay windows feature continuous painted stone header bands with chamfered bottom edges. Paired window openings to the right of the front door on ground and first floor levels have shallow pointed painted render heads with a row of brick headers above. A single window opening with matching head detail sits on the first floor level, aligned with the front door below. Dormer windows have been replaced: those to the jettied dormer are four-pane timber casements, while those to the smaller dormer are four-pane with the top panes top-hung.

The entrance comprises a pointed arched painted stone engaged surround beneath a pointed arched hood mould terminating at each side with a decorative foliated label stop and an indented keystone to the centre. The original door is a painted raised and fielded six-panelled timber door with a plain round arched fanlight, accessed by three replacement concrete steps. A small front garden is now paved with concrete paving stones and gravel. A modern wheelchair ramp with modern metal railings sits to the right of the entrance. A painted plinth wall to the street has replacement painted metal railings.

A continuous painted stone cill course runs across the first floor windows, with a bevelled brick course immediately below. Deep corbelled brick eaves detailing features on the two storey section below a natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. A brick chimney sits on the left side, abutting the chimney of No 4. Terracotta pots are visible on the roof (number unknown). A small painted rendered plinth with brick below sits at the base. Cast iron guttering and a cast metal downpipe appear to the right side of the elevation.

The north side elevation is abutted by No 4. A small section of gable wall is exposed at the rear due to No 5 having a deeper plan than its neighbour, and a new window opening has been formed here for a timber top-hung window at ground floor level. Otherwise this section is blank apart from several modern metal vents and a PVC downpipe. A projecting stone corbel appears at eaves level.

The south side elevation is fully abutted by No 6.

The rear (east) elevation has been substantially altered. A modern two-storey extension now abuts the rear wall, linking both houses with a new block constructed to the rear of Hope House. Most of the original rear elevation is now internal within the new extension, except for a narrow strip on the north side that remains external. The original rear wall features a centrally located modern glass and timber door with a glazed side screen in a plain painted plaster surround, and a large original 6/6 timber sliding sash window to the left at ground floor level. Directly above the door is a large arch-headed 2/2 half landing window with coloured glass margin panes and etched glass to the main panes. A modern internal bridge with glass panelled sides abuts first floor level on the left side at a door opening with a modern glass and timber door and rectangular fanlight above. Two small 2/2 windows appear to the right, with the bridge handrail abutting the pier between them. A structural steel beam abuts the existing rear wall at right angles between the heads of these two windows. A second floor half landing window is a smaller version of the first floor half landing window. A modern glazed roof structure abuts the rear wall above the second floor half landing window, running north-south.

The exposed narrow section of wall on the north side has a bricked-up opening at ground floor level and a 2/2 window above on first floor level, all with splayed brick heads (apart from the half landing windows) and painted stone cills. A PVC downpipe sits to the right side. All brickwork is laid in Flemish bond.

Externally, above the modern glazed roof sits the existing eaves of No 5, fitted with PVC guttering. A flat-roofed dormer with a replacement timber triple casement window sits on the left side, while a pitched roof dormer with painted timber barge boards, natural slate roof, and black clay ridge tiles with a replacement timber paired casement window appears on the right. The roof to the rear pitch of No 5 is natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles.

Materials throughout include a natural Welsh slate roof, red brick in Flemish bond walls, timber sliding sash windows with horns, and cast iron rainwater goods.