Head Line Building, 10-14 Victoria Street, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT1 3GG

The Head Line Building is an attached symmetrical multi-bay three-storey office building with basement and attic, built around 1863 to designs by Thomas Jackson for the Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Company. It is constructed of Dungannon sandstone ashlar and yellow brick in the Italianate style.

The building is square on plan, facing west onto Victoria Street. Its principal elevation is five windows wide with a full-height shallow central breakfront and curved corner bays. The roof is hipped natural slate with two central valleys running perpendicular to the front elevation, concealed behind a sandstone parapet over a crown cornice supported on decorative console brackets. Several yellow brick chimneystacks with machicolated stone coping and clay pots rise from the roof. Rainwater goods are concealed.

The exterior is constructed on a tooled limestone ashlar plinth course rising to first floor sill level, with part of the basement exposed. The front elevation employs sandstone ashlar, while side elevations use yellow brick with sandstone dressings. Continuous moulded courses frame each floor. Window openings feature round and segmental heads with decoratively carved surrounds and apron panels, all fitted with original single-pane timber sash windows.

The west front elevation displays highly detailed ornament. Round-headed window openings to the second floor have moulded archivolts and keystones rising from slender Ionic columns on stepped sills with pierced aprons. The centre features a triple-light window with continuous archivolt and scalloped keystones rising from slender Ionic colonettes on squat plinth blocks, forming a balcony with pierced stone panels supported on elaborate paired console brackets. All second-floor openings are flanked by paired pilasters—Composite to the breakfront, Doric to the remainder.

The first-floor openings are segmental-headed with stilted architrave heads and cartouche keystones rising from engaged Doric pilasters on stepped sills with pierced aprons, flanked by rusticated pilasters at end and corner bays. The centre contains a Venetian window opening with embellished entablature, impost moulding and continuous hood moulding with foliate enriched head, flanked by rope-moulded blind roundels and resting on a stepped sill with pierced aprons. To either side are round-headed window openings with enriched heads and pierced aprons, all flanked by Doric pilasters with central fillet. The corner bays feature round-headed window openings with foliate enriched keystones, stepped lintels supported on polished granite Ionic columns and decorative aprons.

The ground floor also shows segmental-headed window openings with foliate enriched keystones and foliate apron panels flanked by rusticated pilasters with dentilled course below a continuous platband. Round-headed windows flank the principal entrance with a fluted entablature spanning the entire breakfront.

The principal entrance is a deeply set round-headed door opening with compound moulded archivolt supported on pairs of polished granite Composite columns rising from the plinth course. It is surmounted by an elaborate carved coat of arms with unicorns. Double-leaf hardwood doors have diamond-faced panels and bolection mouldings below a foliate enriched lintel cornice, with a plain semi-circular fanlight and stone steps having mosaic risers.

The north side elevation facing Waring Street is five windows wide, with yellow brick to the upper floors and rusticated sandstone to the ground floor. All windows are framed by pilasters. Round-headed window openings to the second floor have archivolts and keystones rising from Ionic pilasters. First and ground floor openings are stilted segmental-headed windows rising from Doric pilasters on stepped sills with pierced aprons; foliate enriched apron panels appear at ground floor level. A deeply set round-headed door opening to the left has an archivolt and enriched keystone rising from impost blocks and polished granite Composite columns. Double-leaf hardwood doors with foliate bolection mouldings, diamond-faced panels and semi-circular fanlight open onto four concrete steps.

The south side elevation facing Ulster Street is five windows wide, detailed as per the north elevation. The former door opening now serves as a window while retaining its similar surround. To the right, a window opening has been adapted to accommodate a vehicular entrance to the basement with sandstone surround and steel roller shutter.

The red brick rear elevation is abutted by an eight-storey apartment development.

The building was bomb damaged in 1976 and subsequently refurbished as a modern office block. It fronts onto Victoria Street, with its north side elevation fronting onto Waring Street and its south side elevation fronting onto Ulster Street.