Northern Bank

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached six-bay two-and-a-half-storey Italianate Northern Bank building, built c.1885 to designs by Joseph Bell, located to the north side of Main Street. Rectangular-on-plan with two-storey gabled extension to rear; partial basement to rear due to topography of site.

Roof is pitched and tiled with terracotta ridge tiles behind balustraded parapet; yellow brick chimneys with replacement pots. Walls are smooth rendered; ashlar sandstone to principal elevation; vermiculated rustication to sill height; horizontal banded rustication above to window head height; sill and string courses. Windows are square-headed timber framed 1/1 sliding sash (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces south; ground floor surmounted by plain frieze and cornice; first floor surmounted by dentilled cornice and parapet; each bay contains single window at ground floor; bay four (from left) contains arched entrance opening with moulded soffit containing six-panelled timber door with original bronze door furniture and glazed fanlight; flanked by pilasters and abutted by porch consisting of pair of Ionic columns with Greek key banding supporting frieze (carved ‘Northern Banking Company Limited’) surmounted by triangular pediment; accessed via three sandstone steps. At first floor, each bay consists of arched opening with moulded archivolt containing single window; carved roundel to spandrels; bays two and four have wall-head dormer at attic level containing 2/2 sliding sash window; segmental pediment; scrolled brackets to cheeks.

West elevation contains two arched windows at attic level.

North elevation abutted at centre by return; exposed section at left contains square-headed timber sheeted entrance fire escape door to basement; single timber casement window at ground and first floor; exposed section at right contains two timber casement windows at basement; two windows at ground floor; three timber casement windows at first floor; all have concrete sills.

East elevation abutted by adjoining building (67 Main Street); exposed section contains single round-arched-headed window to right at attic level.

Setting

Bounded to street at south by sandstone plinth wall surmounted by cast-iron railings. Enclosed yard to north accessed through modern vertically sheeted timber gate and bounded by rubble walling; single-storey rendered outbuilding to north-west.

Roof artificial slate
Walling sandstone
Windows timber
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

The property first appears in the Annual Revision Records in 1885 as a replacement for four smaller buildings. It is occupied by the Northern Banking Co and leased from Anne Lipsett. The valuation is £50 0s 0d and this remains its value during the period covered by the revision records.

Rowan comments; “At the crown of the hill…the one piece of street architecture in the town, tall, of two storeys, with an Italianate façade in cut sandstone. A blind arcade runs to the first-floor windows, and two pedimented dormers break through the roof balustrade.” (p.296)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/12/E/176/1 – Annual Revision Town Plan
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/23/A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)

Secondary Sources

1. Rowan, A ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’, Penguin Books, 1979

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached six-bay two-and-a-half-storey Italianate Northern Bank building, built c.1885 to designs by Joseph Bell, located to the north side of Main Street. The solid character of the design is representative of a bank building of the period, manifest through heavily rusticated stonework and ornate carved detailing to the principal elevation. Despite some modernisation, the bank retains all original features to the exterior; the interior has suffered some loss of original fabric but the original character has not been lost. The building has a prominent and distinctive presence on the main street and is an important remnant of the early commercial development of Fintona.