Description

1937-9. 2-storey and basement, 3-bay, Art Deco style former bank building in irregular terrace on corner site. Ashlar, some channelled, and reinforced concrete. Deep marble base course, band and 1st floor cill courses, eaves cornice and parapet.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Centre bay at ground with broad fixed display window, flanking bays each with marble-margined doorway, steps up to deep-set 2-leaf part-glazed timber door and deep plate glass fanlight; band course above giving way to centre bay with stone balustrade and set-back bay with 2 windows, further windows to flanking bays; projecting cornice with animal masks over outer bays and parapet with decorative ironwork balustrade to set-back centre bay, flag pole and 2nd Empire roof behind.

SE (MILL STREET) ELEVATION: single bay, canted elevation on ground falling to E, with deep base course abutting cill of window at ground floor and further window above.

NW ELEVATION: single bay elevation projecting from neighbouring terraced building, with door in re-entrant angle at ground and single window at 1st floor.

Plate glass glazing to margined Crittal windows at 1st floor, and 2-pane horizontal glazing pattern to metal window at ground. Grey slates.

INTERIOR: moulded cornices (obscured by lowered ceiling at former banking hall); some marble floor retained; concrete staircase.

Statement of Interest

Earlier shops on this site were demolished to make way for the National Commercial Bank. Building began in 1937 when the safe (still in situ) was lowered into the basement and the concrete construction raised around it. The bank opened in 1939 and continued in business until the 1970s. After some setbacks the building was taken over by S L Hill, florist, and continues in the same ownership today (2002).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17831428

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)