20 College Gardens, Belfast

20 College Gardens, Belfast

A mid-terrace, three-storey town house with attic and semi-basement, built in 1881 in red brick in the late Victorian style. The architect is unknown. It forms part of a largely symmetrical block of four houses (Nos. 19, 21 and 22 College Gardens), positioned mid-way along College Gardens, a tree-lined street of similarly scaled townhouses running from Malone Road to Lisburn Road. The building sits within the Queens Conservation Area and faces south, overlooking the grounds of Methodist College.

The front elevation is asymmetrical, with the entrance positioned to the left at ground floor and a projecting bowed bay containing three windows to the right at ground floor. Above this bay sit three windows at first floor (two paired over the bay, one aligned with the ground floor entrance) and the same arrangement at second floor. A flat-roofed attic dormer with two pairs of PPC aluminium framed double-glazed casement windows is centred on the eaves. All openings except those in the attic have segmental heads and diminish in height from ground to second floor. The ground floor bowed bay windows have curved glass, and the middle window's upper sash is split vertically in three.

The walls are constructed in red brick in Flemish bond on the front elevation with stucco dressings; the rear and return use English Garden Wall bond. A painted render base plinth with moulded top and original-appearing sub-floor vents runs across the front. The ground floor entrance door comprises two panels with raised fields and bolection moulding, with a plain glass over-light on a simple transom, and is surrounded by an elaborate concentric arched stucco surround featuring egg-and-dart and chevron moulding, a pitched keystone and simple pilasters, all painted.

The ground floor bay is topped with a cornice and frieze similar to the main roof, and a Renaissance-style balustrade. The frieze continues at the main façade and is repeated below a continuous projecting cill at second floor windows. Ground floor windows are set within deep moulded stucco surrounds with corresponding moulded brackets below a continuous projecting cill; the same detail appears at second floor windows with simple chevron stucco moulding replacing the brackets. The first floor features plainer surrounds between cill and impost level, where a continuous stucco band enriched with classical-style mouldings runs between the windows. Above this band, ornate floral detail appears in the moulded surrounds with exaggerated pitched keystones.

The roof is natural slate with red clay crested ridge tiles. A flat-roofed dormer with sheet metal cladding projects from the front pitch; the rear pitch has a smaller flat-roofed dormer and three modern roof-lights. A chimney is shared with No. 19 and centred on the ridge, rebuilt in salvaged red brick with several circular clay pots. Projecting moulded eaves to the front rest on scrolled modillions; the deep frieze comprises fluted pilasters between alternating panels, each containing a central roundel within a moulded rectangular frame and paired raised and fielded panels. The base of each pilaster is embellished with bestial head moulding. Rear eaves are simpler, with alternating angular bricks; the same detail is carried over the return.

The rear elevation, surveyed from Elmwood Mews without access to the rear yard, is detailed more simply than the front. It features flat-arched openings with soldier-coursed brick headers. A full-height projection with a double return is built at half-landing level to the right (west) side and steps down from four to three storeys, comprising mainly flat roofs with raised parapets in salvaged red brick. There is one opening to each of the first and second floors to the left, with a modern flat-roofed dormer to the attic, clad in vertical sheeting (probably uPVC) with matching casement windows. The second floor window is a timber-framed multi-paned (9/9) top-hung double-glazed casement with a concrete cill and modern brick infill below, suggesting the opening has either moved or replaced a former escape door. The first floor features a uPVC-framed double-glazed tripartite window spanning the full width of the yard, with a painted steel lintel over it. A flat-roofed extension, single-storey over basement, occupies the yard area to the left of the return. It has a parapet wall in salvaged red brick and angled brick coping that relates to the original eaves detail to the rear. The projection is blank with lighter brick to the centre, possibly evidence of a former chimney (matching No. 21) now removed. The north face of the hipped-roof return has one opening at second floor, centred on the hip, appearing to be PPC aluminium and most likely a door opening onto a flat roof with raised parapet. The north face of the flat-roofed return has the wall extended in height to form a second-floor parapet; two windows appear at first floor (one small casement window offset to the left and a large round-arched sliding sash window with 1/1 panes fitted with stained glass sandwiched between float glass). Ground floor is not visible, but soldier-coursed brick spanning almost the full width of the return indicates a wide glazed opening.

Windows throughout are timber-framed double-hung sliding sash with 1/1 panes on the south elevation and a mix of windows to the rear (north elevation). First and second floor sashes to the front have double-glazed units. Gutters and rainwater pipes vary: ogee profile cast iron gutters with circular section cast metal rainwater pipes (south side); and cast metal ogee profile gutter with uPVC rainwater pipes (north side).

The east elevation abuts No. 19 College Gardens. The east face of the projection and double return, surveyed from Elmwood Mews, shows the projection has one opening at each half-landing level: to the attic, a replacement timber sliding sash, double-glazed with 1/1 panes; at second floor, a bricked-up opening, presumably a former fire door given its proportions. The double return has painted walling to second floor cill height with informally arranged openings: one wide uPVC-framed glazed opening at first floor (appearing to have been two windows based on soldier-coursed headers); two smaller openings at first floor towards the north end (one bricked up, the other fitted with a replacement timber-framed double-glazed sliding sash with 1/1 panes and stone cill, painted); and a decorative metal wall vent, probably original. Ground floor and basement are not visible but are assumed to be enclosed by the flat-roofed extension across the yard.

The west elevation is abutted by No. 21 College Gardens, including its return. A sheeted timber privacy screen, painted, stands between the two properties at ground floor level.

The building is set back from the tree-lined street, with a hedge aligning the boundary with College Gardens and front gardens to both adjoining properties. The front door opens onto a broad step with a coloured band formed in polished concrete aggregate, flanked by painted dwarf walls. That adjoining No. 21 retains an open balustrade between square end piers; the opposite side retains a pier adjacent to the entrance only. A path from a replacement metal garden gate to the entrance step is formed in precast concrete paving slabs, which return along the front of the bay. The remainder of the front garden is grassed, with a mature tree near the gate. A salvaged red brick yard wall with alternating angled brick coping runs along the north boundary, likely forming a parapet to a ground floor terrace behind. Two modern garage doors at basement level open onto Elmwood Mews.