Merchant Hotel, Waring Street, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 2DZ

The Merchant Hotel is an attached, symmetrical Italianate sandstone building of five bays on two storeys over a basement, built around 1860 to designs by James Hamilton. Originally constructed as a bank, it was converted to hotel use around 2006 and is now interconnected via a single-bay two-storey wing to a former bank extension to the west.

The building is rectangular in plan and set back from the south side of Waring Street behind a railed forecourt area. The roof is pitched natural slate laid on a U-plan hidden behind parapets, with a central glazed dome and profiled chimneystacks. The roof line is finished with a panelled sandstone parapet, advanced to the portico, framed by decoratively carved plinth blocks supporting elaborate paired urns at the corners.

The principal north elevation features a striking two-tier colonnaded portico at its centre. The ground floor is articulated with paired Doric columns rising from a sandstone stylobate that projects to either end, framing a flight of eleven sandstone steps. The columns support an entablature topped by a cornice with mutules and panelled frieze embellished with triglyphs. The first floor is expressed with paired Corinthian columns and pilasters, supporting a crown cornice with foliate modillions over a decoratively carved Arabesque frieze embellished with seraphim. The five window openings are arranged with pairs to either end of the portico. First-floor windows have round-headed openings framed by Corinthian columns supporting dentiled impost mouldings with archivolt, ancon and decoratively carved spandrels. Ground-floor window openings feature deeply set compound moulded surrounds flanked by pilasters and panelled impost blocks with ancons, decorative spandrels and continuous moulded sills; those flanking the portico have foliate carved heads. Basement windows are plain square-headed.

The central ground-floor doorway is a square-headed opening with varnished double-leaf timber panelled doors flanked by engaged Doric piers and a further pair of pilasters supporting a stepped lintel cornice. An elaborately carved semi-circular overpanel depicting the Ulster Bank coat of arms is framed by archivolt and ancon. The door opens onto the stylobate within the portico, enclosed by replacement iron railings and gates.

The walling is Giffnock sandstone ashlar with rusticated vermiculated basement walling to the front block. The side and rear elevations are of red brick with sandstone courses. The east elevation returns two windows detailed as per the front elevation, followed by four further windows with flush block-and-start sandstone surrounds on continuous moulded sandstone sills. The red brick rear elevation is three windows wide, with thermal windows to the upper level and round-headed door openings. The west side elevation mirrors the east, abutted by a flat-roofed two-storey single-bay wing detailed as per the front elevation and built in lighter sandstone. A square-headed basement door opening with glazed doors and decorative cast-iron gated screen is located at basement level.

Windows throughout are round-headed with steel casement frames. Rainwater goods are replacement cast-iron.

The building stands on the south side of Waring Street set back slightly from street level, accessed via a broad flight of sandstone steps with spliced granite sections to the centre and decorative cast-iron posts with bronze tubular handrails. The forecourt area is paved in cobblelock and enclosed to the street by highly decorative cast-iron panelled railings on sandstone plinth walls with cast-iron piers supporting decorative cast-iron lamps.