51-59 Adelaide Street, Belfast, County Antrim, BT2 8FE

51-59 Adelaide Street is an attached commercial building of five storeys with an attic storey, completed in 1903 and designed by the prominent architect H.W.E. Hobart. It occupies a prominent corner site on the junction of Adelaide Street and Clarence Street and is one of the most significant commercial buildings in the Linen Conservation Area.

The building is constructed in redbrick with red sandstone dressings and comprises two sections built in slightly varying styles. The northern section (Nos. 51-53) fronts both Adelaide Street and Clarence Street and consists of five bays. The southern section (Nos. 55-59) fronts Adelaide Street and consists of six bays. Both sections are rectangular on plan.

The roof is natural slate with hipped mansard form. Three decorative redbrick chimneystacks rise from the east elevation. The northern section has a series of segmental-headed dormers with segmental pediments, fluted pilasters and moulded details, while the southern section has replacement gabled dormers. A deep red sandstone cornice on sandstone brackets with moulded redbrick string course runs across both elevations. Ogee-moulded steel guttering is supported on this cornice with metal downpipes.

The redbrick walling is laid in English garden wall bond with a replacement projecting redbrick plinth course. A further moulded redbrick cornice at second floor sill level features egg-and-dart moulding below, a plain brick frieze and sawtooth course.

The window openings in the northern section are flanked by giant order redbrick pilasters rising from the second floor sill course to the fourth floor, with moulded plinth bases and capitals. A depressed arch spans each bay with rosette panels above each capital. The south section has similar pilasters flanking the entire east elevation, also rising from second to fourth floors.

On the north elevation, there are seven windows arranged across the width. The fourth floor has square-headed openings, whilst the second and third floors have segmental-headed openings with red sandstone keystones and hood mouldings. All are glazed with 2/2 timber sash windows. The first floor has square-headed window openings with corbelled reveals and moulded sill aprons. The ground floor features round-headed stepped window openings with decorative keystones, hood mouldings and continuous dentilated impost moulding, all with single-pane timber sash windows.

An off-centre three-centred arched stepped door opening with keystone hood moulding and modern brass doors is located on the north elevation.

The east elevation of the northern section is four windows wide, detailed as per the north elevation. It includes a door opening to the southernmost bay with modern timber doorcase, and a further decorative doorcase at the corner bay. This corner doorcase comprises a stepped round-headed opening housing original double-leaf timber panelled doors and fanlight. The red sandstone keystone is inscribed '1903 C F Ltd'. Above the door is a redbrick panel with a pair of decorative grotesque red sandstone spandrel panels, surmounted by a cornice with rosette course and blind balustrade. The door opens onto three nosed granite steps.

The east elevation of the southern section is six windows wide with a shallow breakfront to the central four bays from second to fourth floors. Window openings follow the pattern described above, with red sandstone lintels to the first floor. Slender round-headed window openings to the ground floor have paired hood mouldings and decorative label stops. Timber sash windows are present in the northern section, whilst the southern section has aluminium windows, all with red sandstone sills.

A three-centred arched door opening to the southernmost bay of the southern section has modern double-leaf timber doors and overlight. A further decorative doorcase at the northernmost bay is slightly advanced, with a deep moulded round-headed door opening and sandstone keystone. Circular rosette panels occupy the spandrels, and a decorative balustrade with terracotta balusters is positioned above, flanked by decorative square terracotta panels and rosette moulded course below. Double-leaf timber panelled doors with rectangular overlight and blank panel above open onto the street.

The south side elevation of the southern section is nine windows wide with plain redbrick walling and segmental-headed window openings.

The building was constructed as a linen warehouse for Fiddes, Todd and Corry Ltd, linen and handkerchief manufacturers and bleachers. It is first recorded on the sixth edition Ordnance Survey map of 1931 and enters valuation records in 1906 at a valuation of £330 for Fiddes, Todd, Corry and Co Ltd. The adjoining southern section, distinguished by slightly different façade detailing, also enters valuation records in 1906 and was occupied by the Down Weaving Co Ltd, who leased it from Glendinning McLeish and Co, with a valuation of £410. Street directories suggest the adjoining building was not completed and occupied until 1906.

Both sections remained in use as warehouse and factory premises connected with the textile industry until at least 1957. The building is now in use as restaurants and offices.