Euston Street Primary School, Euston Street, Belfast, Co Down BT6 9AG

Euston Street Primary School is a large, mainly single-storey primary school built in 1925, designed by W.G. Davies. The building is constructed principally of red brick with stone dressing and hipped roofs covered in natural slate. Although generally utilitarian in character, it features a distinctive two-storey neo-Georgian entrance bay. The school is situated west of Castlereagh Road, originally surrounded by typical Belfast terrace housing, much of which has since been demolished.

The plan is arranged in a figure-of-eight configuration, with classroom and circulation spaces grouped around two open-air quadrangles — one to the north and one to the south — with a central assembly hall and gymnasium rising higher than the classroom blocks.

The eastern elevation is the principal façade. At its centre is a symmetrical two-storey hipped-roof entrance bay with a canted bay on either side. The main double doors, with half glazing, sit at the head of a short flight of steps and are topped by a distinctive fanlight featuring a Roman-like 'X' motif with margin panes. The stone surround bears a stylised keystone dated 1925. Above this is a nine-pane Georgian-style window with a small top-hung light, and above that is a colourful bas-relief carved coat of arms of the City of Belfast. The doors and window sit in a slightly recessed stone panel rising above the parapet and flanked by plain stone pilasters. The canted bays on either side have plain sandstone dressing and contain original steel Crittall-type windows set in timber sub-frames. Those facing forward have 3/6 glazing with top-hung upper lights; those to the sides have 1/2 glazing with top-hung uppers. The entrance section has a hipped roof with natural slate covering and a tall plain chimney stack to either side. A tall square timber fleche, finished in lead sheet, rises from the centre of the ridge.

To the left of the entrance bay are four large windows, each comprising two frames with three tall windows per frame in 2/6 configuration with top-hung upper lights. These are original steel windows in timber sub-frames, separated by slender brick piers that rise above the eaves, disrupting the ogee gutter line and necessitating numerous rainwater downpipes with decorative heads. The far left end bay projects forward slightly, with a central stone panel containing a simple square motif at its base, above which is a 3/6/3 window with the top light top-hung and the bottom light bottom-hung. Above the window is a simplified carved coat of arms. This bay has a high parapet. On either side of the window are 3/6/3 windows, and the bay is framed with shallow pilasters. Above and below the side windows are slightly recessed brick panels. The right of the entrance bay mirrors the left arrangement.

The southern elevation features a projecting bay on its right side. At ground level are three rendered panels masking bricked-up windows to a semi-basement. Above these are three 3/6/3 windows. This section has a hipped roof. The centre recessed bay has small flat-roofed porches on either side, with doors sitting at the head of short flights of steps and having stone dressings with keystones. The left porch door is inscribed 'Boys'. Between the entrances are nine 3/6 double-frame windows with brick piers and rendered panels below. To the centre of the main roof is a plain chimney stack without pots. The far left projects as a bay matching that to the right. To the right of this elevation is another projecting bay with seven 3/6 windows with rendered panels below and a hipped roof.

The western elevation has a bay on its right side containing seven 3/6 windows with rendered panels below and a hipped roof. The centre and larger section contains seven double frames, each comprising three 3/6 windows with brick piers separating them, though these piers do not rise above the eaves. To the far right is a small projecting hipped-roof bay, slightly lower than before, with a 2/2 window to its south face and a double 2/2-frame window to its west face, all with top openers.

The northern elevation contains a recent flat-roofed extension projecting forward on its right side, featuring six evenly spaced high-level pivot windows. The west face of this extension is blank; the east face has a modern glazed door screen with glazed margins. The extension incorporates anti-climbing devices resembling spiky rollers, as does the flat-roofed porch to the far right. The original projecting bay's north face is now obscured by this extension but retains its hipped roof. To the left is a wide section with nine evenly spaced windows, each with double 2/6 frames with top openers. Shallow pilasters flanking the centre window rise above eaves level to frame a carved stone plaque reading 'Euston St. Senior P.E. School', which has a vaguely Art Deco character. The far right contains a further projecting bay, with three evenly spaced 3/6/3 windows to its north face. A small flat-roofed porch to its west side has a door with stone surround and an inscribed panel reading 'Girls'. A canopy, apparently recently added, is supported on a metal pole to the west face of this porch.

The interior courtyard spaces were originally covered but open-sided walkways around the classroom and corridor blocks; these have been recently enclosed with sheeted walls and modern glazing. The south courtyard's north face comprises the side of the assembly hall with seven paired 2/6-frame window openings. Classroom blocks rising above the corridors have clerestory windows with paired 2/2 frames. High-level windows below the corridor on the south side light a semi-basement. Resurfacing work was in progress at the time of survey.

The north courtyard uses the south face of the assembly hall. To the left is a small flat-roof projection with three windows, and to its east face is a sheeted double-door arrangement with upper clerestory lights. A linking block extends above the corridor to the rear of the two-storey entrance section. The east and west faces have covered corridors with clerestory lights. The south face contains three classrooms, each with large windows of six 2/4/2 frames with separating piers, and a small window with paired 2/4 frames. This courtyard serves the nursery children.

Throughout the building, windows appear to be original where not otherwise noted. The school is built to a high standard of design and construction despite its utilitarian primary purpose, representing an accomplished example of interwar educational architecture in Belfast.