109-111 Royal Avenue, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT1 1FF

109-111 Royal Avenue, Belfast

A terraced, symmetrical four-storey neo-classical sandstone building with attic storey, built circa 1885 to designs by John Lanyon. Originally constructed as a bank, it has been extensively renovated around 2000 for use as an arts centre and is interconnected with the adjoining building at No. 113.

The building is rectangular on plan, facing west on the east side of Royal Avenue, with pedimented breakfronts at either end. The roof is flat with a steep natural slate pitch to the front featuring roll-moulded black clay ridge tiles. A balustraded parapet wall runs around the roof line, interrupted by a central round-headed dormer flanked by decorative profiled sandstone chimneystacks and crowned with a ball finial. Large profiled rendered chimneystacks with clay pots rise from both party walls. Replacement square-profile steel guttering is fitted to either end.

The walling is of coursed sandstone ashlar with a stepped moulded stone plinth course. The symmetrical front elevation is five windows wide. The breakfronts at either end each contain two square-headed openings with balustraded screens and recessed window openings, surmounted by full pediments and urns at the apex.

The central three bays are slightly set back and defined by Giant Ionic order polished pink granite columns at the first and second floors, set on sandstone plinth blocks rising from a pierced balustrade resting on a fluted cornice framing the ground floor. Responding quarter-engaged pink granite Ionic pilasters stand at either end of these recessed bays.

At the third floor, the windows have lugged and kneed architrave surrounds with foliate carvings to the frieze above. Those to the breakfronts are bipartite with a central stone mullion, also carved with foliage. All third-floor windows rest on a continuous cornice below the attic storey.

The second-floor windows have kneed architrave surrounds and moulded sills supported on foliate brackets, with a Greek key course at sill level.

The first floor features segmental-headed windows flanked by engaged pilasters rising to continuous impost mouldings with Greek key course. Above each window is a decorative overpanel with foliate spandrels and a foliate keystone, capped by a foliate cornice. The windows are flanked by half-fluted clasping Corinthian pilasters with a foliate apron panel below. The two-storey box oriel windows above the entrances at both breakfronts are each flanked by a giant pilaster with overscaled foliate console brackets.

The ground floor contains round-headed window openings with moulded archivolts springing from impost mouldings. Between the windows are piers faced with polished pink granite. Roundels adorning the spandrels display mosaic monographs, while the openings have carved ancons. At each end are round-headed door openings with replacement double-leaf timber panelled doors and square overlights. The surrounds are of polished pink granite with moulded archivolts springing from impost mouldings and flanked by decorative pilasters with foliate carved panels. Above each door are over-scaled console brackets with swags supporting the oriels above.

The building retains single-pane timber sash windows throughout the upper floors, with timber casement windows to the oriels. The windows have generally square-headed openings with moulded architrave surrounds.

The north side elevation is abutted by the adjoining building No. 113. The south side elevation is abutted by building No. 111. A three-storey return is visible to the rear but is no longer fully exposed due to flat-roofed extensions added during the 2000 renovation. A rear yard now occupied by these extensions formerly served the building.