St Stephen's Church of Ireland, Millfield, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 1JS

St Stephen's Church of Ireland is a free-standing gable-fronted double-height red brick church of Ireland building located on the west side of Millfield Street in Belfast, within close proximity to Belfast Metropolitan College. Built circa 1869 to designs by architect Thomas Drew, the church was substantially reconstructed in 1963 to designs by architect E. Seaton, A.R.I.B.A. of Messrs W&M. Given, Coleraine. The building is rectangular in plan, facing east, with multi-gabled nave arcades abutting the north and south sides, a semi-circular chancel at the west end abutted by a vestry annex to the south, and a bell tower at the north-east corner constructed during the 1963 reconstruction.

The pitched natural slate roofs are fitted with blue and black ridge tiles, lead valleys, and raised stone verges supported on sandstone kneeler stones, with concealed gutters and cast-iron rainwater goods featuring hoppers. The walls are constructed in Flemish-bonded red brick with black brick string courses, and double-height brick angle buttresses with brick offset detail where they meet the chancel and north nave arcade. Window openings throughout are equilateral arched, formed in chamfered brick surrounds with plain stop chamfer and polychromatic brick voussoirs, containing leaded stained glass covered externally by protective reinforced plastic.

The east elevation features a double-height projecting gabled entrance porch built in 1963, with stepped full-height ashlar limestone piers flanking a central shallow gabled red brick panel, surmounted by limestone coping. Vertically sheeted timber entrance doors are pierced with a series of vertical openings at high level with a transom light above, surmounted by a concrete canopy topped with cast-metal railings and accessed by three masonry steps. The canopy is surmounted by a large vertical etched glass window at its centre, with cast concrete reveal and mullions. The entrance is flanked north and south by nave arcades lit by triangular pseudo-arched windows, three to the north and four to the south, each illustrating one of the seven signs of Christ. The red brick bell tower at the north corner comprises a flat ashlar limestone panel on its east elevation, surmounted by a modern glazed belfry with copper clad roof construction. Two cast-metal doors provide access to the church grounds on the east and west elevations.

The south elevation is five bays wide. Four gabled bays on the right form the nave arcade, each containing paired windows. The fifth bay on the left is abutted by an irregular lean-to vestry annex, with a red brick chimney at the junction between the chancel and vestry. A replacement entrance door at the south-west corner is accessed via a concrete ramp with tubular mild-steel handrail, and a diminished square-headed window is located at the south.

The west elevation is abutted at its centre by a semi-circular chancel with conical roof and finial, featuring six windows divided by two angle buttresses. The vestry annex at the right contains a square-headed window and an equilateral arched window at the left, positioned above the stepped access to a basement boiler room. The north nave arcade on the left contains two large equilateral-arched openings now blocked, and is abutted on its left by a lean-to store. The store contains a diminished window at the south now bricked up and a square-headed door opening at the west. The north nave arcade is five bays wide, each bay containing two windows smaller than those on the south elevation, except the right bay which contains a single window. An equilateral arched door opening adjoining the store at the right is now bricked up.

The church sits on a small city centre site adjacent to a car park to the north and Belfast Metropolitan College buildings to the south and west. A church hall built circa 1870 stands to the west and displays similar architectural detailing. The church grounds are enclosed at the south-east corner by painted mild-steel railings providing both vehicular and pedestrian access.