Anderson and McCauley, 1-9 Donegall Place, 2-16 Castle Street, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 5AA

Anderson and McCauley

An attached corner-sited multi-bay five-storey department store in sandstone, dated 1899 and designed by Young & Mackenzie. The building occupies the prominent junction of Donegall Place, Castle Street and Royal Avenue, spanning an entire city block. The main block faces east onto Donegall Place with a secondary elevation to the north on Castle Street, and a further five-storey red brick block adjoins the rear, fronting Castle Street and Fountain Street to the west.

The principal east elevation is articulated as four bays wide plus the curved corner. Each bay features a shallow bow containing three window openings, with pilasters framing continuous cornices at each level. The curved corner is crowned by a glazed iron clock in a decorative sandstone surround, inscribed with raised digits reading '1899' and topped by a crown, flanked by a pair of cartouche panels.

Above the upper floors, sandstone ashlar walling is surmounted by a frieze embellished with rosettes and fluting, topped by a dentilled crown cornice with egg-and-dart moulding. The parapet wall behind is decorated with carved Arabesque panels on the east elevation and a lozenge-shaped balustrade on the north elevation, both punctuated by squat panelled piers with segmental pediments. The central parapet displays carved lettering reading "ANDERSON & McCAULEY".

The fourth floor features channel-rusticated walling with channel-rusticated pilasters, while the third floor pilasters are embellished with guilloche panels. The second floor windows have scrolled keystones, fluted friezes and dentilled cornices with a central waved pediment, framed by panelled pilasters adorned with foliate carvings. The first floor windows are flanked by part-fluted pilasters supporting a bowed entablature punctuated by ancons and surmounted by a decorative frieze embellished with Arabesque carvings and amorini, all framed by panelled pilasters bearing cartouches inscribed with the monogram "AM".

Square-headed window openings to the first, second and third floors have architrave surrounds, keystones and moulded sills, with replacement steel windows. Round-headed window openings to the fourth floor have keystones and moulded sills.

The ground floor is dominated by large display windows flanked by polished granite Doric pilasters with fluted necks supporting a polished granite fascia and sandstone cornice with egg-and-dart moulding serving as the sill course to the first floor. A polished granite shopfront was inserted to the ground floor.

The secondary north elevation on Castle Street is fifteen windows wide, arranged in groups of three flanked by pilasters punctuating continuous moulded cornices at each level. The first floor pilasters are detailed as per the principal elevation with a plain frieze over, whilst those to the second, third and fourth floors are unadorned. Polished granite shopfronts continue across this elevation with splayed polished granite stall risers bearing applied brass lettering reading "ANDERSON & McCAULEY".

The rear block is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with continuous moulded sandstone sill courses at each level surmounted by a dentilled crown cornice. Square-headed window openings have architrave surrounds, keystones and replacement steel windows. Polished granite shopfronts to the ground floor match those of the principal elevation. The south side elevation is abutted by the adjoining building at No.6-9 Donegall Place.

The interior was largely lost around 2000. The roof is hidden behind the parapet wall.