Ulster Bank

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey building of red brick with Portland stone dressings, in a Classical style. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation two-storey comprising a symmetrical entrance front with an angled face beyond the right hand extremity, forming the corner with the east elevation. Entrance front of red brick with Portland stone dressings, string courses and parapet, and rusticated quoins to extremities; moulded granite plinth. Roof of Westmorland green slates, gabled to left hand side where it is contained by a gable upstand with concrete copings, and hipped to right hand side. Chimneys to left of entrance bay of red brick with Portland stone cornice and blocking course; three red pots.

Entrance doorway has semi-circular arch with coved edge all round terminating at base in coved stop chamfers, and rising at apex to a moulded keystone surmounted by a raised plaque carried on flared dentils and inscribed with name of bank. Doorway flanked by rusticated projecting piers which rise to support an open pediment over first floor. Entrance doors are double doors of varnished oak, 3-panelled, with raised and fielded panels of stepped design; set in moulded varnished oak frame with plain semi-circular fanlight (embossed with modern bank symbol); with dentil cornice to top of door frame. Deep granite step to main entrance. First floor pediment has modillions and contains a carved cartouche; modillion cornice extends to each side across building. Central entrance bay flanked by two windows on each floor to each side.

Windows to first floor rectangular timber comprising fixed light and side-hung casement, surmounted by top-hung vent and fixed light, set in Portland stone jambs, flush with wall plane, with Portland stone head formed by string course; projecting moulded Portland stone cill. Windows to ground floor are modern replacements, rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vent; surrounds and cill as previous to first floor. Between each pair of windows is a cast iron downpipe with original bulbous cast iron hopper just below first floor string course.

Angled corner of building has rusticated extremities of Portland stone with reconstituted stone panelling to ground floor 'autobank' installation replacing original ground floor window; modern metal and perspex segmental canopy over autobank. First floor of angled corner bay has red brick panel below a rectangular timber window of similar form to previous first floor windows; surmounted by a segmental open pediment with modillions, containing carved cartouche inscribed with date '1926'.

East elevation to right of angled corner bay is two-storey, of similar materials to entrance front, with rusticated quoins to extremities; four window openings to each floor, with rectangular timber windows differing on each floor as on entrance front, but extreme left hand window openings are blank, closed with brickwork which forms face of one chimney which rises behind parapet. Chimney similar to that on entrance front; similar chimney also on ridge at right hand gable. Two cast iron downpipes on east elevation, with bulbous cast iron hoppers, one to left of first windows to left, the other between third and fourth windows.

Extending to right of end gable of main block is a lower single storey later extension: blank red brick wall with modern concrete rusticated quoins to right hand extremity, and moulded concrete plinth and moulded concrete cornice over deep concrete frieze. Roof of asbestos slates in regular courses set within gable upstand to right hand side.

North gable of main block facing side road is of roughcast with quoins to left hand extremity; short cornice and parapet returns from entrance front. Red brick chimney on apex of gable flush with wall. North gable of later extension is of asymmetrical form comprising a blank red brick half-gable projecting forward from a set-back half-gable of roughcast. Roughcast portion has two rectangular windows, metal fixed lights with top-hung vent with metal grilles affixed.

To right of extension is gateway to car park at rear of bank: gateway comprised of a modern red brick pier abutting gable of extension, with double gates of ledged timber mounted with iron spikes; mounted at right on boundary wall of yard. Wall of yard, rubble basalt rendered with wet dash of crushed stones.

West gable of main block is rendered with wet dash of crushed stones, with Portland stone quoins to right hand extremity with short return of front cornice and parapet. Plain cement rendered chimney of adjoining house projects above ridge of bank roof.

Rear elevation of bank comprises the two-storey L-shaped main block with a lower two-storey return projecting at the right hand side, with a later single-storey block occupying the space between. Walls are all rendered with wet dash of stone chippings. Main block has roof of Westmorland green slates in diminishing courses; cast iron gutter on moulded wooden fascia with plastered soffit; cast iron downpipe.

Return to right has roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, hipped to south, gabled with plain wooden barge boards to north. Cast iron rainwater goods. Two windows to first floor of main block facing north: rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with plain reveals and projecting cill; modern security bars affixed. One window to first floor of left hand return of main block: modern rectangular timber fixed light with side-hung casement and top-hung vents, reveals and cill as previous, with modern metal security bars affixed. Two windows to first floor of return to right hand side: rectangular timber, sashed 1 over 1, detailed as previous sash windows.

Single storey block between returns has flat roof with modern rooflights; concrete copings to blank north wall finished with roughcast as previous. Modern steel fire escape staircase within yard carried over single storey block to modern flush steel door in left hand return.

Gable of left hand return is blank, roughcast finish, with later gabled lower wing projecting from it: asbestos slates in regular courses, PVC gutter and downpipe, painted wooden fascia; one window to ground floor, rectangular metal fixed light and casement with top-hung vent.

Gable of right hand return has two windows in first floor, one rectangular timber sashed as previous, the other a large rectangular modern window. Ground floor has rectangular steel door leading into yard.

Return has a lower flat-roofed extension projecting from it: looks like an original wing later raised in height. Rectangular timber sashed window, as previous, to left of ledged timber door.

North side of yard enclosed partly by a gabled block and by a yard wall. Gabled block has Bangor blue slates in regular courses with flush verge; roughcast walls and large rectangular window in east gable; ledged timber door facing into yard. Yard wall roughcast as previous, with concrete copings; ledged timber door leads to rear car park beyond. North wall of gabled garage within car park has large ledged timber door mounted on runners; garage now used as a store.

SETTING: The building stands on a corner site facing the main street of the village, with a lower two-storey building adjoining it on the west side. There is a walled car park to the rear of the building covered with tarmac. Projecting into the car park from the western boundary wall is a single storey roughcast wall enclosing an oil tank.

Historical information

Built in 1926; architect not known.

References - Primary Sources
1. Datestone on building.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an example of an inter-war bank in a Classical style. It has been inappropriately altered both externally and internally.