103-105 North Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT1 1NL

103-105 North Street, Belfast

An attached symmetrical two-bay three-storey commercial block with half-dormer attic, built around 1896. The building is constructed of machine-made red brick laid to Flemish bond with sandstone dressings, and is located on the northern side of North Street. It is rectangular on plan, abutted to the rear by a full-height flat-roofed red brick return, which is itself abutted by a two- and three-storey mid to late 20th century flat-roofed red brick block of little historic interest.

The pitched roof is clad in artificial slate and largely concealed behind a red brick parapet with sandstone coping. A pair of gable-headed attic dormers break through the parapet, featuring scrolled kneelers and pyramidal sandstone finials over their apexes. Red brick chimneystacks with stepped cornices and no pots rise at the east and west ends. Parapet gutters with uPVC downpipes empty to the centre and outer ends.

The principal elevation faces south and is distinguished by a moulded sandstone crown cornice projecting over the second floor level. The first and second floors each contain a single two-tiered elliptical-arched window opening to each bay, with pole-moulded and cavetto brick architraves and a keyed sandstone hood mould above. Floors at window openings are separated by painted timber boards, and canted brick sills project from the first floor openings. The upper sections of these windows are early to mid 20th century work; the lower sections are modern replacements. Attic window openings are square-headed with projecting sandstone sills and flush stone lintels surmounted by rounded pediments featuring foliate and shield carvings. The kneeler stones of the pedimented dormers are carried on projecting brick piers which extend below the crown cornice and terminate at sandstone stops at the impost level of the second floor openings. The attic windows themselves are mid to late 20th century timber casements with decorative rolled glass.

A pair of shopfronts occupies the ground floor, currently concealed behind steel roller-shutters with vinyl signage affixed to the fascia. Each shopfront is framed by painted cast-iron pilasters with fluted lower sections over high pedestals. A continuous painted masonry cornice extends over the fascia, carrying uPVC gutters and supported on a single fluted console bracket over the central pilaster (the outer two have been removed).

The west elevation is abutted by the neighbouring building at Nos.109-111. The rear (north) elevation is largely abutted by the flat-roofed return, which contains a mono-pitched roof to its right side. The return has red brick walls laid to English garden wall bond and square-headed window openings. A single former opening to the upper floor of the north elevation is bricked up; a plainly detailed opening remains to the upper floor of the left side. The lower floors are abutted by the red brick mid to late 20th century building of little historic interest, which extends northwards. The east elevation is abutted by the neighbouring building at Nos.99-101.

The building stands street-fronted on the north side of North Street, with its principal elevation facing south. It forms part of a wider group of similarly dated commercial buildings, including Nos.99-101 and Nos.95-97 to the east. The window frames are multi-paned timber casements, largely replacements, throughout, with replacement glass across the entire building.