First Trust Bank

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached three-storey classically detailed stone bank, five-openings wide, built c.1925 to designs by Morris and Kavanagh, located to the north side of High Street. Rectangular on plan, facing south; full-height extension to west, full-height return to rear, modern lift shaft extension to rear (of no interest), modern single- and two-storey addition to rear.

Parapet-concealed roof (roofs remodelled), replacement metal downpipes visible to rear. Walling is ashlar limestone over splayed plinth with modillioned-entablature supporting a cement-rendered parapet; ground floor has dentilled-entablature rising to first floor sill-course. Windows are square-headed painted timber 1/1 sashes, moulded limestone architraves with keyblocks, moulded sills.

Principal (south) elevation is eight openings wide (those three openings to left are the extension); right end has a three-window-wide centre flanked by single-opening-wide breakfronts to each side. Ground floor centre has Roman Ionic columns between windows; breakfronts ground floor to right has a square-headed transomed multi-light timber casement window (former carriage arch) and left end has square-headed replacement varnished timber door with multi-light overlight, splayed limestone reveals flanked by Roman Ionic pilasters supporting an open triangular pediment (cartouche within pediment has Munster and Leinster monogram of “M & L”). First floor windows have pediments over (alternating between triangular and segmental arched with triangular at ends, extension first floor has only triangular pediments).

Extension detailed as principal elevation, ground floor is ashlar, square-headed carriage arch with modern varnished timber panelled double doors to left and ATM insertion to right. Extension west gable is completely abutted by adjoining building, rear elevation is rendered and windows do not have any architraves; single window to second floor left and two diminished windows to first floor.

West gable is completely abutted by extension.

Rear (north) elevation is abutted to left end by return, to right by lift shaft (of no interest) and entirely to first two floors by additions (of no interest). Rear elevation windows do not have any architraves. Exposed section is detailed as rear of extension, second floor has two windows between return and lift projection (that to left is diminished) over three windows (with metal grilles). Return has single second floor window over two windows (with metal grilles), cheeks are blank.

East gable is detailed as principal elevation and is abutted by adjoining building to right end. Exposed section is blank.

Setting:-
Bank is set back from High Street by concrete pavement with tarmac parking lot to rear enclosed by high rendered boundary wall accessed via carriage arch under extension.

Roof: Parapet-concealed roof (roofs remodelled in 1990)
Walling: Limestone
Windows: Timber
RWG: Metal

Historical information

A previous building is shown on the 1833, 1854 and 1905-6 OS map. It also is not shown on the Town Plan of Omagh of 1882-1909 (date of addition not given). Valuation Revisions record the previous property on site as a ‘shop’, which is valued at £19, and occupied by H. Mawhinney.

In 1925, this property is recorded as ‘down... [with] new buildings in progress’. In 1927 the ‘Munster Leinster Bank Ltd’ is entered as the occupier of a ‘bank, manager’s house, offices and yard’, this building is valued at £126.

Rowan lists the architects as Morris and Kavanagh, the date of construction as 1923 and the material as Portland Stone. (1979, pg 447)

The bank was originally built as the Munster and Leinster Bank and retains an M&L cartouche. According to the property department, this bank merged with Provincial Bank in 1984, which made the former Provincial Bank (HB11/13/005) redundant. First Trust Bank is part of the AIB Group and was created in 1991 when TSB Northern Ireland merged with interests controlled by AIB.

According to the property department of First Trust, the bank was refurbished and extended onto the site of the former Melville Hotel in 1984. Before this remodelling, the manager of the bank lived above the banking hall. A drawing from 1984 of the proposed extension shows that the extension was executed under the bank name Allied Irish. In 1990, lower roofs were recovered by rubber butyl. In 2000, a new lift shaft and steelwork to roof and fire escape was added.

Dr. Haldane Mitchell in “Images of Omagh and District,” Vol. 2, explains that in 1944, the Melville Hotel was owned by a Miss Robinson, who also owned the Clonavon on the Hospital Road. The latter was used as an overflow when required (Mitchell, Vol. 2, p.78).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/35/1-First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/35/2-Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/35/3-Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)
4. PRONI VAL/1/D/6/6 -Town Plan of Omagh (1824-1844)
5. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/17 -Town Plan of Omagh (1849-1869)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/6/36 -Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/37-Valuation Revisions (1903-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/186/1/5 -Town Plan of Omagh (1882-1909)
9. PRONI VAL/12/F/7/7/1- Valuation Revisions (1930-35)

Secondary Sources

1. Information from Keith J. McCullough-property department of First Trust.2009
2. Mitchell, Haldane, ed. “Images of Omagh and District.” Vol. 2. Omagh: Rotary Club of Omagh, 1991.
3. Mitchell, Haldane, ed. “Images of Omagh and District.” Vol. 6. Omagh: Rotary Club of Omagh, 1998.
4. Rowan, Alistair. Buildings of Ireland-North West Ulster. Penguin: Dublin, 1979.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached three-storey classically detailed stone bank, five-openings wide, built c.1925. The bank demonstrates fine stonework and thorough detailing, resulting in a substantial civic presence. The building was nearly symmetrical before it was extended in the 1980s in a matching design. Although there has been a loss of historic fabric internally , the ornate façade displays fine craftsmanship reflecting its robust character as a significant civic building.