Friends Institute, 47 Frederick Street, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT1 2LW

Friends Institute, 47 Frederick Street, Belfast

A detached, symmetrical multi-bay two-storey building constructed around 1870, originally built as a Friends Institute and currently in office use. The building is constructed in redbrick with a pedimented redbrick and red sandstone arched entrance screen to the east. It faces south on the north side of Frederick Street and is rectangular on plan. The building was extensively renovated and extended to the east around 1990.

The roof is hipped with natural slate covering and black clay ridge tiles. The chimneystacks are replacement profiled redbrick. Replacement moulded metal guttering is supported on an angled brick eaves course with metal downpipes. The redbrick walling is laid in Flemish bond with continuous sandstone impost and sill mouldings. A splayed sandstone plinth trim runs along the redbrick projecting plinth course. Cast-iron wall-ties are visible to the ground floor, with a geometric brick course below the first floor sill course and eaves course.

The front elevation is five windows wide and symmetrical. Window and door openings are formed in gauged brick. The first floor windows are segmental-headed with stepped brick surrounds and corbelled brick reveals. The outer windows are paired and divided by stop-chamfered sandstone piers with cushion capitals. Round-headed door and window openings to the ground floor have replacement sandstone hood mouldings arranged as a continuous pointed-arched moulding rising from sandstone impost mouldings. To the left are full-height openings with timber-framed glazing. To the right are arched single-pane timber sash windows with decorative wrought-iron sill guards. The central round-headed door opening contains an original timber door with two arched flat panels and a circular panel above. The door opens onto two granite steps to the front pavement.

The west side elevation is cement rendered with a replacement redbrick chimneystack. The north rear elevation is smooth rendered to the ground floor with redbrick walling above. Segmental-headed window openings to the first floor contain single-pane timber sash windows, with a steel door also present. The east side elevation is abutted by a flat-roofed extension and includes walling detailing as per the front elevation, together with a replacement redbrick chimneystack. Two segmental-headed window openings to the first floor are present.

The pedimented redbrick and red sandstone arched entrance screen to the east of the principal building is now connected via a modern extension and serves as the principal entrance. A replacement timber-glazed screen is set within a round-headed opening having a sandstone archivolt with scrolled keystone, with a pair of steel gates leading to three stone steps. The arch is flanked by a pair of brick pilasters meeting a stepped sandstone frieze inscribed with gilt lettering reading 'Friends Meeting House', with a triangular pediment above. Sloping walls to either side have scrolled sandstone coping and terminate in a further pair of square brick piers.

The building is located on the north side of Frederick Street with a replacement Meeting House to the rear, built around 1975. The site is surfaced with bitmac parking throughout and enclosed by a tall redbrick wall to the east and replacement steel railings and gates to the road.