20 College Green, Belfast

Three storey red brick asymmetrical terraced house built between 1866 and 1878, situated on the south side of College Green to the north-east of the main quad at Queens University, Belfast. The building has group value with adjoining numbers 18 and 22 College Green, which together form part of a longer Victorian terrace running from number 2 to 26 inclusive that overlooks the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church within Queens Conservation Area. The building is now used as part of Queen's University's School of Social Science, Education and Social Work, incorporating numbers 12 to 24 (number 16 is missing), with the former houses connected internally and two-storey gabled extensions added around 2004 in place of original returns.

The roof is natural slate with a duo-pitched form and black clay ridge tiles. Two red brick chimneys, rectangular on plan, are centred on the ridge with corbelled brick copings and several octagonal yellow clay pots; one is shared with number 18 and the other with number 22 College Green.

The south elevation is the principal façade and is asymmetrical, with the entrance to the right (east) and a single-storey canted bay to the left at ground floor. Two segmental arched windows appear at both first and second floors, diminishing in height. The entire ground floor is rendered with smooth finish and painted, terminating in a square-edged string course that runs between first floor cill levels. A deep plinth with moulded top is painted in contrasting colour. The timber framed four-panelled entrance door is a replacement, featuring a rounded central bead to resemble double doors with plain glass over-light, set within a projecting door case. Stop-chamfered head and jamb reveals are present to all ground floor openings and to the outer edge of the door case. A cornice hood above the door is embellished with waterleaf and dart moulding, though this detail is partially obscured by several layers of paint. Windows at the ground floor canted bay are replacement single glazed double-hung sliding sashes. All other windows are single glazed timber framed sliding sash with 1/1 panes. Moulded surrounds top the first floor windows with ornamental decoration, while second floor windows have similar surrounds with corbel brackets below projecting cills. Heavy overhanging eaves are supported on corbelled yellow brick specials alternating with three courses of angled yellow brick. The red brick is laid in Flemish bond on the south elevation with painted masonry dressings.

The west and east elevations are abutted by numbers 18 and 22 College Green respectively, with original returns removed. A two-storey extension is fenestrated to east and west, overlooking shared courtyards on both sides. The extension is roughly three bays wide with alternating vertical bands of red brick walling and smooth render. Polyester powder coated windows and flush timber exit doors are present. The extension has an artificial slate roof. The red brick in the extension above the north extension is laid in English Garden Wall bond.

The north elevation, facing the rear, is almost entirely obscured by the two-storey gabled extension, which spans the full width of the building and also encroaches on much of number 18. Some brick walling remains above the extension with single-course corbelled brick eaves in header bond. One sliding sash window at the half landing to the far left and two further windows on the second floor are shown as blocked up on plan. The window to the far left is single glazed with 2/2 panes and soldier-coursed headers; from interior inspection this window appears to be original, although salvaged brick below the cill suggests it may have been relocated. The extension stretches the full length of the yard to the boundary at College Green Mews, where slate cladding is applied near the apex so that it reads as a double pile roof or two narrower gabled ends.

The building is set midway along College Green, which runs between Botanic Avenue to the west and Rugby Road to the east. A concrete dwarf wall with modern metal railings lines the southern boundary, matching adjacent properties. A small front garden is gravelled with large reconstituted stone paving slabs to the front path. The modern extension extends the full width of the property to the northern boundary with College Green Mews. Rear yards shared with numbers 18 and 22 provide shared amenity space for numbers 12 to 24 and comprise ramped paths to ground floor entrances with red brick retaining walls topped by modern metal handrails and uprights, painted.

Rainwater goods comprise cast metal replacement fittings: ogee gutter on the south elevation, half-round gutter on the north elevation and circular downpipes.