117 Shankill Road, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT13 1FD

A two-bay three-storey brick building with sandstone dressings built c.1900 to designs by Herbert Sykes and remodelled as a bank building in 1937 to designs by Samuel Stevenson & Sons. Corner-sited with turret at the junction of Shankill Road and Craven Street. Rectangular on plan with modern two-storey red-brick extension to rear (of no interest). Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and red-brick chimneystack having moulded cap; copper clad roof with pointed finial to turret; terracotta crestings and finial to wall head dormer window at east. Plastic rainwater goods on decorated red-brick Lombardic frieze. Walling is stretcher-bonded red-brick with yellow-brick and sandstone dressings; grey granite cladding on a black granite plinth to ground floor. Moulded yellow-brick string-course between upper floors and eaves band to turret; sandstone dressings including dentilled cornice to south gable; floriated string-course above Lombardic frieze to south; terracotta detailing to south gable and turret. Windows are replacement uPVC throughout in plain brick reveals with flush concrete sills to first floor and yellow-brick continuous sill course to second floor (south). Venetian-style window has moulded sandstone archivolt over central opening with exaggerated keyblocks; opening framed by red-brick pilasters with carved console brackets; sandstone scrolled apron panel under. South-facing gabled front is framed at upper floors by brick pilasters with moulded, dentilled or carved heads; turret to right on corbelled base over entrance at southeast corner. Turret has three second floor windows and two narrow window openings to first floor. Original double-leaf five-panelled timber doors to ground floor in a polished granite reveal. The west elevation is abutted by adjoining building. The north elevation is abutted by the two-storey modern red-brick extension; two windows and a uPVC door at second floor. The east elevation has wall-head dormer with brick corbelled base at left; window to second floor centre and four irregularly arranged at first floor. Ground floor has five replacement windows fronted by modern metal railings. Setting Street-fronted on a corner site to the north side the Shankill Road, opposite the Albert Hall (HB26/35/004) and with adjoining refurbished three-storey commercial block to west. To east, on the opposite side of Craven Street, is a large four-storey modern apartment block. The building has been fully refurbished to rear, with two-storey red-brick extension topped by roof terrace enclosed by modern metal railings. Roof: Natural slate Walling: brick/stone dressings Windows: uPVC RWG: uPVC