17 University Square, Belfast

Three storey with attic, two bay red brick mid terraced former townhouse, now used as university offices for the School of History, Anthropology and Politics at Queen's University. The building fronts onto University Square in South Belfast, which links University Road on the west and Botanic Avenue on the east.

The terrace was built in stages between 1848 and 1853, with this building constructed in 1852. While Charles Lanyon laid out University Square, the architect of the actual terrace is unconfirmed. Number 17 is located approximately midway along the row of 30 former houses, flanked by Number 16 on the west and Number 18 on the east. It is abutted at the rear by a three storey return built at half landing level, which is in turn abutted by a three storey mews building. The property overlooks the Old Library (now QUB Student Graduate Centre) and the grounds of the northern end of The Lanyon Building.

The front elevation faces south and presents a flat facade of red brick in Flemish bond. The entrance occupies the left side of the ground floor, featuring an elliptical arched head with brick voussoirs and moulded plaster reveal, deeply recessed with fluted columns with Doric-type capitals on each side. The columns support a plain painted rendered entablature with moulded cornice. An original spoked fanlight of likely painted timber with plain glass panes sits above. The painted timber door, probably a replacement of circa 1915-1920, has three tall rectangular panels to the bottom section, a central oval panel, and a nine-pane top section with arched head and bullseye glazing to six of the panes, with replacement ironmongery.

All windows to the front are timber sliding sash, single glazed and appear original. Two single window openings to the ground floor, both 6/6 panes with separate painted stone cills, flank the door on the right side. Two 6/6 windows to the first floor sit over a continuous painted stone cill course, again aligned to the right of the facade. Two 6/6 windows to the second floor with separate painted stone cills are positioned as on the first floor, though not aligned with the ground floor arrangement; historic glass is apparent in these windows. All front windows have painted rendered reveals and splayed brick heads.

A plain rendered plinth runs beneath the facade, with a corbelled painted stone cornice and lead to parapet edges. The pitched natural Welsh slate roof (replacement) has red clay ridge tiles and brick chimneys with corbel detailing (rebuilt) to both left and right, shared with neighbours, each carrying seven yellow clay pots. A flat roof dormer window to the right hand side of the roof has lead cheeks and roof with timber casement windows.

Four replacement reconstituted stone steps from street level lead to a landing of reconstituted stone paving slabs, with modern metal railings on either side. A small front garden with shrubs precedes a Flemish bond low brick boundary wall to the street (not original) with reconstituted stone coping beneath replacement painted metal railings. A hidden parapet gutter to the roof is likely formed in lead, with a painted metal downpipe and metal hopper to the right hand side.

The side elevations are fully abutted by the neighbouring properties on both west and east sides.

The rear elevation faces north and is painted render, three storeys high with attic. The exposed section of the main elevation on the left side has a window opening on each level. A bay window to the ground floor has a lead flat roof and metal windows with small square top panes and tall panes to the bottom section, with a painted timber cill. All top panes have leaded coloured obscure glazing, whilst the windows to the canted sides are multi-pane leaded with obscure glass and plain glass to three tall panes to the central section. The first and second floors each have 6/6 windows. A flat roof dormer window to the left hand side of the rear roof slope has lead cheeks and roof with a triple timber casement window (modern).

The rear elevation is abutted on its right side by a three storey return, further abutted by a three storey mews building to the north. A shared yard with Number 18 is enclosed by the main rear elevation, the east side wall of the rear return, the south wall of the mews building (and a single storey flat roofed infill extension), and the side wall of the rear return to Number 18. Rainwater goods are painted metal, with guttering supported on metal rise and fall brackets. A plastic soil vent pipe serves the yard.

All walls to the rear are painted render with painted rendered plinth. All windows to the rear have plain reveals and appear to have painted stone cills unless otherwise stated. All windows to the rear are timber sliding sash, with some appearing original and others potentially replacements.

The side wall (east) of the rear return has a centrally located 8/8 window to ground floor level. The first floor has three 1/1 windows, regularly spaced. The second floor level has four window openings: a double patterned leaded casement window with obscure glass panes to the extreme left side, then three 6/6 windows to the right.

The north wall of the rear yard (south wall of the mews building) is abutted by the single storey extension on the ground floor, which has a modern flush door to the left side and a 3/6 window to the right at ground floor level. The first floor level is blank, with a 6/6 window to the second floor.

The west elevation of the rear return faces onto the yard shared with Number 16. The ground floor has a patterned leaded fixed pane window to the right side and a modern flush door on the left; an 8/8 timber sliding sash window to the right side of the first floor and a small sliding sash window to the left side; a patterned leaded window with obscure glass to the right side of the second floor level. A painted rendered chimney to the left side rises above the roof of the mews building to Number 16.

The east elevation of the mews building is abutted by the single storey extension on the ground floor and is blank above.

The rear elevation of the mews building onto the alley way has paired 3/6 windows to the single storey extension on the left side at ground floor level; a 3/6 window on the left side of the ground floor, a flush timber door to the centre and another 3/6 window on the right side. Three window openings to the first floor comprise a 6/6 to the left and centre and a 3/6 on the right; a single 6/6 window opening appears to the second floor level. All windows to the rear appear to be replacements, with metal grilles added and attached to the reveals on all ground floor windows.

The roof to the return and mews building is hipped natural slate with red clay ridge tiles. Modern buildings occupy the area to the rear of the mews building onto University Square Mews.