20 University Square, Belfast

A three-storey mid-terraced townhouse with attic, constructed in 1848–49 as part of a terrace built in stages between 1848 and 1853. The building now functions partly as the Queen's Film Theatre and partly as university offices for the School of Creative Arts at Queen's University. The upper floors and part of the ground floor are integrated with the adjoining No. 21 University Square and are accessible only through that property. This description records the building as originally designed.

University Square, laid out by Charles Lanyon, runs between University Road to the west and Botanic Avenue to the east. The architect responsible for the actual terrace design remains unconfirmed. No. 20 is positioned towards the east end of the street, one of a row of thirty former houses, flanked by No. 19 to the west and No. 21 to the east. The terrace faces south, overlooking the Old Library (now the QUB Student Graduate Centre) and grounds of the northern end of The Lanyon Building.

Exterior

The four-bay front elevation is constructed in red brick laid in Flemish bond beneath a pitched natural Welsh slate roof with red clay ridge tiles. The entrance is positioned on the left side of the ground floor with an elliptical arched head formed in brick voussoirs and moulded plaster reveal. The doorway is deeply recessed and flanked by fluted columns with Doric-type capitals supporting a plain painted rendered entablature inscribed "QUEEN'S FILM THEATRE". A spoked fanlight with plain glass panes (likely painted timber) sits above a panelled painted timber door, possibly a replacement. A single window opening occupies the right side of the ground floor, with a substantial single-storey bay window to the right of this. The bay window is constructed in painted render with arched window openings to the canted sides and a wider shouldered arched window opening to the central section. Window surrounds feature stucco detailing with decorative stucco keystones and engaged foliated capitals at shoulder height, with plaster panelling below. The bay has a flat roof with moulded cornice above the windows.

The ground floor level shows evidence that the entrance has been relocated from the centre of the façade to the left side, indicated by patching of brickwork above the window to the left of the bay window. Low plinth walls either side of the front door are replacement brick with reconstituted stone coping.

Above the ground floor, four regularly spaced window openings are positioned on both the first and second floor levels beneath a plain rendered plinth and corbelled painted stone cornice with lead to the parapet edges. All front windows are timber sliding sash and single-glazed. The ground floor window is 1/1; the bay windows are 1/1 with separate painted stone cills; the first floor has four 1/1 windows over a continuous painted stone cill course; the second floor has four 6/6 windows with separate painted stone cills, some showing evidence of historic glass.

A brick chimney with corbel detailing, rebuilt, stands to the left side with seven yellow clay pots; there is no chimney on the right side. The roof incorporates pitched roof dormer windows to both left and right sides with lead cheeks and natural slate roofs with red clay ridge tiles, each fitted with paired 1/1 timber sliding sash windows.

The front windows have splayed brick heads, possibly replacements. A hidden parapet gutter to the roof, likely formed in lead, drains via painted metal downpipes with metal hoppers positioned to the left side of the front door and from the left side of the bay window.

Access to the front entrance is via five replacement reconstituted stone steps from street level leading to a landing of reconstituted stone paving slabs, with modern metal railings either side. A small garden to the front contains shrubs. A Flemish bond low brick boundary wall to the street (not original) with reconstituted stone coping is topped with replacement painted metal railings.

The side elevations to west and east are fully abutted by No. 19 and No. 21 respectively.

The rear elevation to the north is rendered and three storeys high with attic. At approximately the centre, it is abutted by a four-storey return with hipped roof built at half landing height, and further abutted by a single-storey return with hipped roof. Both returns are finished in painted render with natural Welsh slate hipped roofs and red clay ridge tiles. Single-storey flat-roofed extensions wrap around these returns and, along with further modern buildings to the rear, form external courtyards and alleyways between the buildings.

The main rear elevation is exposed to the first and second floors only on either side of the rear return. On the left side (between the rear returns of No. 20 and No. 21) is a single window opening on each level; the same openings occur on the right side of the rear return. A pitched roof dormer to the attic level is positioned on the left side only.

The four-storey rear return has exposed side and rear elevations to the first, second, and third floors. The east side face has two openings on the first floor with 6/6 windows, a single opening with a 2/2 window to the second floor, and a single opening with a 1/1 window to the third floor. The north rear face is blank and features an advanced vertical chimney to centre. The west side face has a single window opening to the right side on the first floor with a 3/6 window, two window openings to the second floor with 2/2 windows, and two window openings to the third floor with a 1/1 window on the left side and a 2/2 window on the right.

A single door opening in the rear north wall of the single-storey flat-roofed extension (between the rear returns of No. 20 and No. 21) is fitted with a modern metal louvered door.

All rear walls are painted render with a painted rendered plinth. All rear windows are timber sliding sash, likely replacements, with plain reveals and painted stone cills. Rainwater goods are painted metal, guttering supported on metal rise and fall brackets. A plastic soil vent pipe serves the building.

A rear alleyway at the north end is enclosed on its north side by modern buildings (forming part of the Queen's Film Theatre and School of Creative Arts) which back onto University Square Mews.

Materials

Roof: Natural Welsh slate (replacement)

Walls: Red brick in Flemish bond

Windows: Timber sliding sash, single-glazed throughout. Front elevation: horns to ground and first floors only (likely replacement). All other windows: no horns.

Rainwater goods: Hidden parapet gutter to front roof; painted metal to rear and returns.