18 University Square, Belfast

Three-storey with attic, three-bay, red brick mid-terraced former townhouse, now used as university offices for the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University. The terrace was built in stages between 1848 and 1853, with No. 18 constructed in 1848–49. While University Square was laid out by Charles Lanyon, the architect of the actual terrace is unconfirmed.

Setting and Context

Fronting onto University Square in South Belfast, which links University Road on the west and Botanic Avenue on the east, the terrace faces south and overlooks the Old Library (now QUB Student Graduate Centre) and the grounds of the northern end of The Lanyon Building. No. 18 is located approximately midway along the row of 30 former houses and is flanked by No. 17 on the west and No. 19 on the east. No. 18 is abutted at the rear by a two-storey flat-roof return built at half landing level, which is in turn abutted by a two-storey return with hipped roof.

Materials

The roof is covered in natural Welsh slate (replacement) with red clay ridge tiles. Walls are red brick laid in Flemish bond. Windows to the front (south) elevation are timber sliding sash, single-glazed (possibly original), with horns to ground floor and first floor only, and timber casement windows to dormers. Rear (north) windows are timber sliding sash, single-glazed, or metal top-hung and casement, leaded. Dormer windows to rear are timber casement and metal leaded. Rainwater goods comprise a hidden parapet gutter to roof and painted metal to yard.

Front Elevation (South)

The front elevation is a three-storey with attic, three-bay, mid-terraced, red brick flat facade built in Flemish bond, with the entrance on the right side of the ground floor. Two single window openings sit to the left side of the door on the ground floor level, with three above on both first and second floor levels, aligned vertically. The facade features a plain rendered plinth and corbelled painted stone cornice with lead to parapet edges.

Nos. 18 and 19 University Square form a breakfront from the houses either side, with full-height toothed painted rendered quoins on the left corner of No. 18 and the right corner of No. 19. The pitched natural Welsh slate roof has red clay ridge tiles and brick chimneys with corbel detailing (rebuilt) to both left and right, shared with neighbours, each with seven yellow clay pots. Two dormer windows sit on the roof, a larger one to the left side and a smaller one to the right; both have pitched natural Welsh slate roofs, red clay ridge tiles, lead cheeks, painted timber apex, and timber casement windows.

On the ground floor level, the doorway has an elliptical arched head with brick voussoirs and moulded plaster reveal, deeply recessed with fluted columns with Doric-type capitals to each side. The columns support a plain painted rendered entablature with moulded cornice. The painted raised and fielded panelled timber door (possibly a 1920s–30s replacement) has three tall rectangular panels to the bottom section and three top panes with Georgian wired glazing. A leaded stained glass fanlight with the number '18' in centre sits above. The ironmongery is replacement. Original low painted stone dwarf walls flank either side of the front door.

All windows to the front are timber sliding sash, single glazed, have painted rendered reveals and splayed brick heads, and are possibly original: two 6/6 windows to ground floor level with separate painted stone cills; two 6/6 windows to first floor over continuous painted stone cill course; two 6/6 windows to second floor (historic glass apparent) with separate painted stone cills. No rainwater goods are visible to the front elevation; a hidden parapet gutter to roof is likely formed in lead.

Five replacement reconstituted stone steps lead from street level to a landing of reconstituted stone paving slabs. Modern metal railings flank either side of the steps. A small garden to the front contains shrubs. A concrete paved path links to No. 19 on the east side. A Flemish bond low brick boundary wall to the street (not original) has reconstituted stone coping beneath replacement painted metal railings.

Side Elevations

The west side elevation is fully abutted by No. 17. The east side elevation is fully abutted by No. 19.

Rear Elevation (North)

The main rear elevation is painted render and three storeys high with attic. It is abutted on the left side by a two-storey return with flat roof and conical rooflight, which is further abutted by a two-storey return with hipped roof. A modern flat roof extension links the latter two-storey extension of No. 18 with the mews building at the rear of No. 17 University Square. A shared yard with No. 17 is enclosed by the main rear elevation, the rear return of No. 17, the mews building at the rear of No. 17 with its attached single-storey extension, and the rear returns of No. 18. Rainwater goods are painted metal, with guttering supported on metal rise and fall brackets. All walls to the rear are painted render with painted rendered plinth. Windows to the rear are varied in style and some appear original while others may be replacement. All have plain reveals and appear to have painted stone cills (unless otherwise stated).

The ground floor level of the main rear elevation is exposed to the right side with a large window opening containing a multipane metal window with leaded lights, likely to be an Edwardian alteration; the window has a large central pane flanked by opening casements and a row of panes above with a small square opening light above the large centre pane. On the first floor level there is a window opening with a 6/6 timber sliding sash window on the right side and a rectangular window opening at high level to the left (above flat roof of return) with a triple timber window with patterned leaded lights. On the left again is a window opening at second floor half landing height with an 8/8 timber sliding sash window (outer panes narrower than middle panes). At second floor level there are two window openings on the right side, both with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. There is a flat-roofed wall-head dormer (lead or similar material to roof and lapped over edges) on the left side of second floor level with a metal casement leaded window and to the right, a pitched roof dormer window with natural Welsh slate roof with red clay ridge tiles, lead cheeks, painted timber apex, and a timber casement window. A metal soil vent pipe runs from the left side of the flat-roofed return, across horizontally between second floor windows and vertically past the wall-head dormer.

Within the yard, the flat-roofed section of rear return is two storeys, built at half landing height. The roof is lead with standing seams and a modern metal conical rooflight with metal finial. The west face (overlooking the yard) of the flat-roofed return has two window openings to ground floor, both with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows; the window on the left is narrow. An oriel canted window sits above on first floor level, with metal frame and leaded lights, lead (or similar material) to flat roof. Continuing along the west face, but now beneath the hipped roof section, there is a single window opening on ground floor level.

The south face of the modern flat-roofed extension (which links Nos. 17 and 18) has a flush timber door on the left side and a 3/6 timber sliding sash window on the right. The west elevation continues above the flat roof of the single-storey extension; on the first floor level there are three window openings, from right to left: a metal casement window with top-hung pane and two 1/1 timber sliding sash windows; and on the ground floor, beyond the extension, a large window opening containing a triple window with a large plain central pane flanked by 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. This window is behind metal bars and overlooks an alleyway which runs between the rear of the Mews Buildings behind Nos. 14–17 University Square and the modern buildings relating to QFT, which then in turn back onto University Square Mews. The north face of the single-storey extension also faces onto the rear alleyway and has a window opening with paired 3/6 timber sliding sash windows behind metal bars. The north and east faces of the hipped roof section of rear return are fully abutted by the large modern extension at the rear of Nos. 19 and 20 University Square (QFT). A modern rooflight sits on the east slope of the hipped roof.