19 Mount Charles, Belfast

Three-storey with attic end-terraced brick townhouse built in 1859 to the designs of architect Alexander MacAlister. It is one of a terrace of nine and stands on the south side of Mount Charles, a tree-lined street running between Botanic Avenue and University Road within the Queen's Conservation Area in Belfast. The property is now used as university student accommodation.

The building is rectangular on plan with a projecting return to the rear. The east side is abutted by twentieth-century apartments fronting onto University Road. The rear return and yard back onto University Street, enclosed by a tall wall featuring false windows at high level to create the appearance of a three-storey facade.

The front elevation faces north onto Mount Charles. It displays a three-storey red brick facade built in Flemish bond with a single-storey canted rendered bay on the right and a doorway on the left at ground floor level. Two windows occupy each of the first and second floors, with two modern rooflights at attic level. All front windows are timber sliding sash with horns and have been replaced with single glazing. The canted bay windows are horizontally split 2/2 with a translucent film applied to the inner face of the lower sash. Second-floor windows are 8/8. Window heads to the first and second floors are straight with splayed brick soldiers. A continuous painted stone cill course runs across the first and second floors. A deep painted rendered plinth sits at the base with a similar frieze beneath the eaves. Rusticated stuccoed toothed quoins at the corner with the east gable occur at first and second floor levels. The canted bay is painted render with moulded plaster detailing. Its lower section beneath the cill is formed by the deep plinth and has a flat roof with modern roof membrane over a projecting cornice.

The doorway features an elliptical arched head with brick voussoirs and a moulded plaster reveal. It is deeply recessed with Ionic columns on each side, standing on raised moulded plaster panelled bases. The columns support a moulded plaster entablature with a plain fanlight above. The cornice, columns and bases sit on two replacement concrete steps with dwarf walls on each side. The timber four-panelled door appears to be original, though its two top panels have been replaced with glazing and the ironmongery has been replaced.

The pitched roof is natural Welsh slate with black clay ridge tiles. A flat concrete verge occurs at the left side. Brick chimney stacks rise on the right (shared with the adjacent property) and on the left gable end (rebuilt), centred on the ridge with corbelled detailing and seven circular clay pots. Cast metal ogee guttering and cast metal downpipe with hopper discharge from the canted bay; a small section of PVC pipe connects the bay to a cast metal hopper.

The east elevation is partially abutted by a modern apartment block set back slightly from the Mount Charles facade. The blank painted rendered gable wall of the property is visible above the modern building's roof. A cast metal downpipe on the extreme right of the gable wall discharges from the Mount Charles facade. The painted rendered side wall of the rear return is exposed onto University Street with a deep rendered band beneath cast metal ogee guttering, discharging via cast metal downpipe on the extreme right. Windows to this elevation include a 6/6 window on the extreme right at both first and second floor levels.

The west elevation is fully abutted by the adjacent property.

The rear elevation faces south and comprises a three-storey facade with an original three-storey return on the right side built at half-landing height. All rear walls within the yard are painted render. The rear yard is enclosed by the house's rear wall, the return on the right side, the return of the adjacent property on the left, and a three-storey yard wall fronting onto University Street.

The main block's rear elevation has a 2/2 horizontally split window on the left side at each level with painted stone cills, and a smaller single 6/6 window at attic half-landing level on the right side, positioned above the return's roof. The return elevation facing into the yard comprises a replacement timber back door on the extreme left with a 6/6 window above at first floor level and a similar smaller 6/6 window above at second floor level. A single 6/6 window sits to the right of the back door at ground floor level, possibly original. All rear windows are timber sliding sash with horns and have been replaced with single glazing, with possible exception of a ground floor window on the rear yard wall. Cast metal rainwater goods serve the yard.

The internal face of the University Street wall comprises a replacement timber sheeted door with a plain fanlight over at ground floor level, and two multi-pane timber window frames above (without glass), one at first floor and one at second floor level, both with painted timber cills. The three-storey-high facade onto University Street is constructed of dark brown brick in Flemish bond with a rendered plinth and eaves band, linked vertically by a full height painted rendered strip at the right side corner. The replacement yard door on the left is painted timber panelling with a plain fanlight beneath a semi-circular head with brick voussoirs. One stone step and a further step lead up into the yard. To the right is a 6/6 window, possibly original, with wrought iron bars attached to the reveals and a painted stone cill. A diminutive square single-pane window with frosted glass sits to the right. The first floor has a false multi-pane window frame (without glass) on the left side and a 6/6 window on the right, both with shallow arched heads. The second floor is the same as the first floor except with straight heads. Cast iron guttering sits above the painted rendered eaves band. A plain flat concrete coping stone tops the rear wall.

The pitched natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles covers the main block, with one modern rooflight to the left side and a flat concrete verge at the right side. The return has a hipped natural Welsh slate roof with black clay ridge tiles.

Materials include natural Welsh slate roofing with black clay ridge tiles, red brick in Flemish bond with painted render, and lime pointing. Rainwater goods are cast aluminium with a small section of PVC at the canted bay. Windows are timber sliding sash with horns, single-glazed where replaced, with modern rooflights added.

Access to the front of the house is directly from the tree-lined pavement of Mount Charles, while rear access is via the yard door from the University Street pavement.