9 College Gardens, Belfast

A mid-terrace, three-storey, two-bay red brick late Victorian town house built in 1877 to designs by architect William Batt. The building forms part of a symmetrical block of four properties (numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10), with number 8 mirrored by number 9, whilst the wider properties at numbers 7 and 10 occupy the gable ends. Located on the east end of College Gardens, a tree-lined street running from Malone Road to Lisburn Road within the Queens Conservation Area, the building faces south overlooking the grounds of Methodist College. A three-storey return has been built at half-landing level to the rear (north), adjoined to number 8 to form a wide gable.

The building currently serves as student accommodation. The natural slate roof (Bangor Blue) features a large central red brick chimney with a corbelled cap in brick specials and sixteen circular red clay pots, which it shares with number 10. Projecting stone eaves are adorned with corbelled brick specials comprising roll-edged dentils on cogging and stretcher courses. Two modern skylights have been installed on the rear north roof slope.

The walls are constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with blue brick string courses and alternating soldier courses. English Garden Wall bond has been used to the rear elevation and return.

The south-facing front elevation displays asymmetrical composition, with the entrance positioned to the right and a two-storey canted bay with a lead roof to the left. A projecting rubble-stone base plinth features a chamfered blue brick top. Dressed sandstone cills and lintels continue as two string courses of blue brick with a red course between, with stop-chamfered reveals. The round-arched central entrance is formed in alternating red and blue soldier courses (three at a time) and includes a dressed sandstone hood mould with label stops (the right-hand stop shared with number 8). A plain fanlight sits above square-headed panelled timber double doors, flanked by grey marble colonnettes with dressed sandstone capitals, collars and bases on toothed quoins. Carved foliage detail adorns the label stops, base and capitals. An alternating blue and red brick soldier course is repeated as a segmental relieving arch above the window over the door, with an angled blue brick hood above. Windows throughout the building are single-glazed double-hung sliding sashes with 1/1 panes, unless otherwise described.

The north-facing rear elevation overlooks Elmwood Mews and is plainly detailed by comparison to the front, with asymmetrical composition. The elevation features a three-storey return to the right and one window per floor to the left. The ground floor window incorporates multi-paned stained and leaded glass, whilst the first floor has a sliding sash with 2/2 panes. Stone cills here are shallower than those to the front, with red brick soldier coursing above windows and projecting headers at eaves. The return features clipped eaves and a single window offset to the right on each floor (all with 2/2 panes) that diminishes in height; the remainder of this elevation is blank.

The east elevation is abutted by number 8, which adjoins including the return. The west elevation is abutted by number 10, adjoining the main building; the west face of the return is plainly detailed as the north elevation. This western return elevation displays informal fenestration with single windows to the north and south ends at all levels (2/2 panes) and additional openings between: a tripartite window and flush modern door at ground floor; twin windows offset to the left with translucent glass at first floor; and a single window with translucent glass at second floor. An Arts and Crafts style stained and leaded fixed light is positioned at the ground floor opening nearest to the main building.

Materials include cast iron rainwater goods to the south elevation and uPVC to the north and return.

The building is set back from the tree-lined street by a front lawn and mature hedging on the south side of College Gardens, sitting mid-terrace within the block of similar town houses. The building is rectangular on plan, aligned east-west parallel to the road. A gate opens to College Gardens with a tarmac-surfaced path leading to the house. The rear overlooks Elmwood Mews, a shared alley running the full length of College Gardens and connected to Elmwood Avenue. Red brick walling in English Garden Wall bond with a rounded terracotta cap (missing in part) divides the yard from numbers 8 and 10 (raised in part along the south boundary). Concrete steps descend to a basement below the north end of the yard, containing a bin store with access to Elmwood Mews via a sheeted timber ledged and braced door. Simple metal guarding and handrail, painted black, protect the basement steps.