8 College Green, Belfast

8 College Green, Belfast

A mid-terrace two-storey house with attic, built in 1866, constructed in red brick and facing south onto College Green, northeast of the main quadrangle at Queen's University, Belfast. The building is now used as Queen's University School of Education. It forms part of a longer Victorian terrace running from No. 2 to No. 26 College Green and has group value with the adjoining No. 6 College Green. The terrace overlooks the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church and sits within the Queen's Conservation Area.

The building features a natural slate duo-pitched roof with black clay ridge tiles and two rectangular red brick chimneys centred on the ridge with corbelled brick copings and octagonal yellow clay pots. One chimney is shared with No. 6 College Green and has ten pots; the other abuts the chimney to No. 10 and has eight pots. There are two barrel dormers to the front (south) pitch with replacement timber-framed sliding sash windows (double glazed), and two modern roof-lights to the rear. A two-storey gabled return has been built at half-landing level to the rear, centred on and set parallel to the rear elevation, with a single-storey L-shaped lean-to abutting it. Original outbuildings and yard walling have been removed to make way for off-street parking accessed from College Green Mews.

The South Elevation forms the principal façade, symmetrically arranged with formal fenestration. The ground floor comprises a central entrance flanked by single-storey projecting bays—the left bay is square on plan with two windows, and the right bay is canted. The first floor has three equal-sized windows with moulded string course forming a cill, each containing 2/2 panes. Toothed quoins feature on the far right (east) side. The base plinth is deep and continuous with sub-floor vents and a moulded top. Heavy eaves are supported on scrolled brackets above a deep plain frieze and moulded string course, all painted. The walls are constructed of red clay brick in Flemish bond with painted masonry dressings.

The ground floor bays and doorcase have painted surrounds, probably comprising combined stucco and dressed stone beneath paint. The bay windows feature stop-chamfered detail to the head and jambs, with jambs extending to the plinth and deep bull-nosed stone cills recessed between them. Decorative round and diamond-shaped incisions above the bay windows feature abstract cross, thistle and clover motifs. The entrance door is a square-headed timber-framed four-panelled traditional design with plain glass fanlight in a round-arched opening with roll-edge detail, set within a projecting surround with moulded cornice hood and incised roundels similar to the bays. The first floor windows have moulded surrounds with plain frieze and projecting cornice hood with diamond-head moulded edge over a row of dentils.

The North Elevation faces onto College Green Mews, a shared alley. It is largely symmetrical to the front but more plainly detailed with red brick soldier-coursed headers and thick projecting stone cills. The rendered reveals to openings are painted. The two-storey gabled return is centrally placed with a large round-arched sliding sash window offset to the left at first floor, comprising 2/1 panes with stained and etched margin panes; two rows of brick headers form the arch above. A flush stained timber door and glazed sidelight below the arched window exit onto concrete steps with a tubular metal handrail. At ground floor, the L-shaped lean-to abuts the left side of the return and has one 3/6 sliding sash window, likely original, and two modern casement windows; to the right of the return is a sliding sash window with 1/1 pane. Above ground floor, the return is flanked by sliding sash windows with 6/6 panes at first floor, and a single window at half-landing level to the attic has 3/6 panes. The walling is rendered smooth and painted up to first floor level; sub-floor vents suggest suspended ground floor construction. Galvanised steel bars are fitted across external reveals to all ground and first floor windows. The west face of the return has clipped eaves with a modern timber casement window at ground and first floor. The east face has clipped eaves with no openings.

The north elevation walls are constructed of brownish-red variegated brick in English Garden Wall bond above painted render to the ground floor.

Windows throughout are single-glazed timber-framed double-hung sliding sashes with 1/1 panes on the south and multi-paned on the north, unless otherwise described. Rainwater goods comprise an aluminium ogee gutter and replacement circular section aluminium rainwater pipe to the south; uPVC to the north. The dormers are lead-clad.

The building is set midway along College Green, which runs between Botanic Avenue to the east and Rugby Road to the west. A dwarf rendered wall with canted top and modern metal railings line the boundary to the south and enclose a small front garden. The garden is paved with concrete slabs, including a ramp and entrance steps. A tubular metal handrail aligned with the ramp is painted to match the railings.