20 University Square, Belfast

20 University Square is a three-storey-with-attic, four-bay, red brick mid-terrace former townhouse, built in 1848–49 as part of a terrace constructed in stages between 1848 and 1853. The square was laid out by Charles Lanyon, though the architect of the terrace itself remains unconfirmed; Paul Larmour has suggested the prolific Belfast-based architect Thomas Jackson as a likely candidate, given the style of the buildings and his later documented involvement with nos. 1–3, though no documentary evidence has yet surfaced to confirm this. The terrace faces south onto University Square in South Belfast, linking University Road to the west and Botanic Avenue to the east, and overlooks the Old Library (now QUB Student Graduate Centre) and the grounds of the northern end of the Lanyon Building. No. 20 sits towards the east end of the row of 30 former houses, flanked by no. 19 to the west and no. 21 to the east. The ground floor has been altered and the building extended at the rear to accommodate the Queen's Film Theatre (QFT). Part of the ground floor and all of the upper floors are now integrated into no. 21 University Square and are used as university offices for the School of Creative Arts at Queen's University, accessible only via no. 21.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

University Square was created as a direct consequence of the construction of Queen's College between 1845 and 1849. Set immediately north of the college grounds, the street — originally intended to be named Victoria Square — was laid out around 1847 by Charles Lanyon on land released for development by its then owner, Jane Gregg. The rear boundaries of the house plots followed an already established garden boundary belonging to a pre-1832 residence, whose grounds had begun to be broken up by the building of present nos. 2–6 Mount Charles in 1842, nos. 42–48 University Road in 1846–48, and the creation of what became University Street around the same time. Building agreements from 1847 state that the frontages were to be modelled on Glenfield Place, a terrace then being built on Ormeau Road (present nos. 121–135). The street was initially populated by a mixture of Queen's academics and prosperous Belfast merchants and professionals seeking a retreat from the rapidly commercialising town centre. By around 1920 it was largely occupied by medical families. Following the expansion of higher education in the late 1940s, Queen's University gradually acquired the properties for departmental use; by 1960 the University held around two-thirds of the buildings, by 1974 all but one, and by the mid-1980s all were in university use.

No. 20 was one of the terrace's original eight houses, built in 1848–49 alongside the present nos. 18–19 and 21–25, originally sharing a long stable block at the far end of the rear garden with neighbouring no. 19. The Reverend W. D. Killen is recorded as occupant in the 1850 street directory, remaining until around 1868. James Thomson, described as 'Professor, Queen's College', is named in the 1870 directory. The property was noted as vacant in 1873, but by 1877 John A. Arnold, 'Merchant clothier', was in residence, with Mrs. Arnold recorded from 1880. Mrs. Workman succeeded her around 1888, followed by architect J. J. Philips from around 1895 until 1898. At some point between 1873 and 1883, the canted bay window was added to the ground floor, and the dormers may date from around the same period, though the valuations make no mention of these changes. Surgeon Brice Smyth became resident in 1900 and is recorded in the 1901 census as living there with his wife Elizabeth and three domestic servants; the building was classified as a first-class dwelling with 15 rooms in use. Malcolm B. Smyth, a doctor and possibly a relation of Brice Smyth, is named as householder from 1924 until around 1938. The property was vacant for some years thereafter but was recorded as occupied again by 1947. By 1951 it had been acquired by Queen's for use by the Departments of German and Mathematics; by 1955 both no. 20 and neighbouring no. 21 had become the Women Students' Hall, and both formed part of the Faculty of Law from around 1972. They were still recorded as such in 1980 but do not appear in directories from at least 1986 onwards. The building was listed in 1979.

The terrace underwent major renovation around 1990–94, including renewal of the roof covering and chimney and the construction of a single-storey rear extension to no. 20. Around 2003–04, this rear extension was demolished to make way for the enlarged Queen's Film Theatre — which had begun in 1968 in a lecture hall addition at the rear of no. 20 and was most recently and most extensively rebuilt around 2004, spreading into the former back gardens of several neighbouring properties. During the same works the interior was adapted as the new entrance foyer to the cinema, with part now incorporated into no. 21. As a consequence, the entrance doorway and the window to its left were transposed, with the entrance reconstructed as the first opening from the left on the ground floor. The small front garden was also adapted for disabled access around the same time.

The broad unity of the terrace as a whole began to be broken from 1865 onwards, when a single-storey canted bay was added to no. 19, a two-storey version appeared on no. 23 before 1873, and similar projections were added to nos. 20 and 22 by 1883, with further examples following on several other houses in the early 20th century — some canted (nos. 7 and 11) and some rounded (nos. 12, 14 and 30). Most of the dormers across the terrace also appear to date from the early 1900s. Two mews houses are recorded to the rear of the terrace from around 1880, one of which remained in private occupation until the 1960s; both have since been demolished to make way for Queen's University extensions.

EXTERIOR — FRONT ELEVATION (SOUTH)

The front facade is red brick laid in Flemish bond, three storeys high with an attic. The entrance is positioned to the left side of the ground floor — relocated from its original central position, evidenced by patched brickwork above the window to the left of the bay window. The doorway has an elliptical arched head with brick voussoirs and a moulded plaster reveal, deeply recessed, with fluted columns bearing Doric-type capitals to each side. The columns support a plain painted rendered entablature with a moulded cornice, across which the words "QUEEN'S FILM THEATRE" are inscribed. The fanlight is spoked, likely of painted timber, with plain glass panes. The door itself is panelled and painted timber, possibly a replacement, with replacement ironmongery. To the right of the entrance is a single window opening at ground floor level, and to the right of that is a single-storey canted bay window. The bay window is painted render with arched window openings to the canted sides and a wider shouldered arched window opening to the central section. The window surrounds have stucco detailing, decorative stucco keystones, and engaged foliated capitals at shoulder height with plaster panelling below. A moulded cornice sits above the windows beneath a plain parapet with painted stone coping. The bay has a flat roof.

Above ground floor level, four regularly spaced window openings appear on both the first and second floors beneath a plain rendered plinth and a corbelled painted stone cornice with lead to the parapet edges. All windows to the front are timber sliding sash, single-glazed, with splayed brick heads (possibly replacement); those at ground floor and first floor have horns, those at second floor do not. The single ground floor window is 1/1, the bay windows are 1/1 with separate painted stone cills, the four first floor windows are 1/1 over a continuous painted stone cill course, and the four second floor windows are 6/6 with separate painted stone cills — some historic glass is apparent at this level.

The pitched natural Welsh slate roof has red clay ridge tiles. To the left side is a brick chimney (rebuilt) with corbel detailing and seven yellow clay pots; there is no chimney to the right side. Pitched roof dormers appear to both left and right sides of the roof, each with lead cheeks, natural slate roofs with red clay ridge tiles, and paired 1/1 timber sliding sash windows. The parapet gutter is hidden and likely formed in lead. A painted metal downpipe with a metal hopper is located to the left-hand side of the front door and another descends from the left side of the bay window.

Five replacement reconstituted stone steps rise from street level to a landing of reconstituted stone paving slabs, flanked by modern metal railings. The front garden contains shrubs. A low brick boundary wall in Flemish bond (not original) with reconstituted stone coping and replacement painted metal railings runs to the street. The low plinth walls either side of the front door are also replacement brick with reconstituted stone coping stones.

EXTERIOR — REAR AND RETURNS

The west side elevation is fully abutted by no. 19 and the east side elevation by no. 21. The main rear elevation is painted render and three storeys high with an attic. It is abutted at approximately its centre by a four-storey return with a hipped roof, built at half-landing height, which is in turn abutted by a single-storey return, also with a hipped roof. Both returns have natural Welsh slate hipped roofs with red clay ridge tiles. Single-storey flat-roofed extensions wrap around these returns and, together with further modern buildings to the rear, form external courtyards and alleyways to the rear of nos. 20–24 University Square.

The main rear elevation is exposed at first and second floor levels only on either side of the rear return: a single window opening on each level to the left (between the rear returns of nos. 20 and 21), and the same to the right. A pitched roof dormer appears at attic level on the left side only. The side and rear elevations of the four-storey rear return are exposed at first, second and third floor levels only. The east (side) face has two openings on the first floor, both 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, with an advanced vertical chimney to the centre. The west (side) face has a single window opening to the right side on the first floor with a 3/6 window; two openings to the second floor, both with 2/2 windows; and two openings to the third floor — a 1/1 on the left and a 2/2 on the right. A single door opening in the rear (north) wall of the single-storey flat-roof extension (between the rear returns of nos. 20 and 21) is fitted with a modern metal louvred door. All rear walls are painted render with a painted rendered plinth. All rear windows are timber sliding sash and likely replacement, with plain reveals and painted stone cills. Rainwater goods to the rear are painted metal, with guttering on metal rise-and-fall brackets. The soil vent pipe is plastic. A rear alleyway at the north end is enclosed on its north side by modern buildings — also part of the QFT and the School of Creative Arts at Queen's — which back onto University Square Mews.

INTERIOR

The original floor plan has been altered: the vestibule has been moved from its original central position to the left. However, some original features survive on the upper floors. The interior now serves as entrance foyer to the Queen's Film Theatre at ground floor level, with upper floors used as university offices.

SETTING AND GROUP VALUE

The terrace retains coherence despite elevational variations — including the bay and bow windows added to a number of houses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exterior of no. 20 retains much of its original character, proportions and detailing to the front elevation, though the large flat-roofed modern building to the rear detracts from the rear setting. The terrace as a whole (nos. 4–30 University Square) has strong group value and contributes significant character to its setting within the Queen's Conservation Area.