News Letter Office, 51-59 Donegall Street, Belfast

Symmetrical terraced multi-bay three-storey with attic sandstone Gothic-Revival building, built c.1875, to the designs of William Hastings. Rectangular on plan facing west on the east side of Donegall Street with a triple gabled extension added to the rear c.1980. Pitched natural slate roof with cement verges to either gable end surmounted by a rendered chimneystack to the north with sandstone base. Central octagonal plan turret rising from a tapered weathered sandstone base and surmounted by lead-lined conical roof. The turret has alternating pointed-headed openings and square carved floral panels all flanked by slender colonettes having stiff-leaf capitals and moulded iron gutter over. Flanking the turret are gabled wall-head dormer windows having moulded coping and paired pointed-headed windows with central colonettes and squat piers with stiff-leaf impost mouldings and single-pane timber sash windows. Replacement moulded metal guttering supported on moulded eaves course with series of foliate console brackets and square-profile downpipe. Sandstone ashlar walling with a central shallow breakfront, continuous foliate sill courses, moulded plinth course and a series of medallions to the first floor with portraits in relief. Pointed-headed window openings arranged in groups of three with replacement Y-tracery fixed-pane windows and framed by slender polished granite colonettes with stiff-leaf capitals (unless otherwise stated). Symmetrical front elevation is seven windows wide with a central shallow entrance breakfront corresponding to the turret. The second floor windows have voussoired sandstone and polished granite heads with cable mouldings rising from continuous stiff-leaf impost mouldings. Pointed-headed openings are set within deeply coved surrounds. First floor windows are detailed as per second floor with a continuous hood moulding while the central window is flanked by polished granite columns having stiff-leaf capitals embraced by gabled surround surmounted by fleur-de-lys finial and opening onto a stone balcony supported on decorative brackets and having a decorative wrought-iron balustrade. To the ground floor all openings are shouldered and flanked by slender pilasters. The window openings have replacement timber fixed-pane windows while the door opening has double-leaf hardwood panelled doors and plain overlight flanked by polished granite colonettes and a further pair of engaged piers. North side elevation abutted by neighbouring building. Rear elevation is abutted by three full-height gables, built c.with painted cement rendered walling and square-headed window openings and replacement timber windows. South side elevation abutted by neighbouring building (51 Donegall Street). Setting Street-fronted and forming part of a terrace of buildings dating from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth-century. Roof : Natural slate RWG : metal Walling: Ashlar sandstone Windows: timber