69 University St, Belfast, BT7 1HB

Three-storey High Victorian mid-terraced brick townhouse built in 1878-79, now divided and used as offices for the School of Education at Queen's University. The building is the second from the right in a terrace of five on University Street, flanked by Dukes Hotel (Nos 65-69) to the right and No 71 to the left, with which No 69 is now internally linked. A two-storey flat-roofed extension of circa 1980s extends to the rear.

The building is rectangular on plan with a north-facing front elevation. It features a pitched natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. The walls are of red brick in Flemish bond, with painted stone and painted stucco decoration. Rainwater goods comprise painted metal downpipes and cast iron guttering to the front, with PVC to the rear. Windows are timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed, and possibly replaced throughout.

The front elevation displays considerable architectural ambition. A central entrance is reached by six steps and features a segmental-headed painted sandstone arch with carved edges, flanked by corner colonettes with simplified foliated capitals on tall raised chamfered stone bases. The door appears to be the original raised and fielded panelled timber with replacement ironmongery. A three-storey bowed bay projects to the left, topped with a natural slate conical roof with decorative lead apron and cast iron finial, beneath a stuccoed eaves band with fleur-de-lis motif. Each storey of the bow has three large square-headed window openings within painted stone surrounds with plain engaged painted sandstone capitals at shoulder height and rounded-edge mouldings. The brickwork between each level is laid in header coursing, including beneath the ground floor window cill. A continuous painted stone cill course runs across the bay.

On the first floor, aligned with the former doorway, are two narrow window openings within a painted stone surround with Corinthian-type decorative plaster capitals and chamfered stone bases, the column shafts now missing. Above on the second floor sits a diminutive centrally-located window opening with a carved stone surround.

A shallow square bay projects to the right, topped with a truncated chateau roof featuring fish scale bands in natural Welsh slate and a decorative lead apron to the flat top section, with a stuccoed eaves band displaying a curving leaf motif. This bay contains two large window openings on each level within painted stone surrounds with painted stone corner colonettes. The ground floor has Doric-type capitals with chamfered stone bases; the first and second floors have decorative Corinthian-type capitals, also with chamfered stone bases but with column shafts missing. Continuous painted stone cill courses run across all floors.

Decorative eaves with carved stone brackets above a stone string course occupy the central section between the two bays. Brick chimneys flank both left and right sides, shared with neighbours. Both are two-stage stacks centred on the ridge with corbel detailing and multiple yellow clay pots with triangular tops. The chimney on the right is built in Flemish bond and that on the left in stretcher bond (both rebuilt).

A rough coursed sandstone plinth with chamfered painted stone coping runs beneath the brickwork. Ogee cast iron guttering to the front discharges from the conical and chateau roofs to the gutter in the central section, then to painted metal downpipes.

The property sits behind an original low heavy coursed rough sandstone boundary wall with painted cut stone coping, punctuated by original painted sandstone piers with square bases, diminutive engaged corner colonettes with Corinthian-like capitals, and square chamfered coping. Modern painted metal gates and railings now replace the originals. Six replacement reconstituted stone steps lead to a concrete-slab-paved landing area, flanked by replacement low heavy coursed pink sandstone walls with cut stone coping. A modern disabled ramp access curves around the bowed bay of No 69 and falls to the entrance of No 71.

The west elevation is fully abutted by Nos 65-67 University Street (Dukes Hotel), and the east elevation is fully abutted by No 71.

The rear elevation is of two-and-a-half storeys in Flemish bond brick, abutted on its left side by the two-storey brick flat-roofed extension of circa 1980s. A small single window opening sits on the first floor level to the left side above the flat roof of the extension, with a wall head dormer above. Paired modern timber glazed doors occupy the ground floor of a shallow square gabled bay to the right, which is advanced slightly from the main elevation, with two window openings above on both first and second floors. Both dormers feature pitched natural Welsh slate roofs, painted timber barge boards with decorative brackets with knopps and cross-tie members, and exposed rafter ends to the sides. A paired window opening sits on the first floor half landing at approximately the centre of the rear elevation. All rear windows are uPVC with stone cills and splayed brick heads. Corbelled and bevelled brick eaves support the pitched natural Welsh slate roof to the rear slope, with black clay ridge tiles. Plastic rainwater goods discharge from the rear.

A courtyard area is enclosed by the rear walls of Nos 69 and 71, the side walls of the rear return of No 73, and the L-shaped modern extension at the rear of No 69. The courtyard is paved with concrete slabs on both upper and lower levels, with brick retaining walls forming edges and large planters for shrubs and trees. A two-storey extension and building to the rear of Nos 69 and 71 backs onto College Green Mews, which runs between Botanic Avenue to the west and Rugby Road to the east. The south side of College Green Mews is backed onto by the rear boundary walls and extensions of the houses along College Green to the south.