Description

Walter Newall, circa 1820; alterations A G Sydney Mitchell, 1885. 3 storey, Classical, former bank building on corner site with fluted Greek Doric colonnade to Irish Street; plainer treatment to Bank Street. Polished, painted, sandstone ashlar.

IRISH STREET BLOCK: 4 bays with elevational treatment continuing for 2 bays to Bank Street; inner bays slightly recessed with Doric colonnade at ground. Base course; corniced fascia; 2nd floor cill course; eaves cornice; blocking course. Channelled ground floor to Bank St. Regular fenestration with corniced window margins; shallow pediments to 1st floor windows of outer bays. 2-leaf timber panelled entrance doors to outer bays recessed between paired plain pilasters.

BANK STREET BLOCK: slightly lower than Irish Street block. 6 bays; 2 bays to right more widely spaced than others. Base course; 1st floor cornice; 2nd floor cill course; eaves course; blocking course. Corniced window margins. Former shop front window margins (openings now mostly filled in) 4 bays to left.

12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows throughout. Slate roof.

Statement of Interest

A fine, early 19th century Classical bank building occupying a prominent corner site in the heart of Dumfries and designed by the leading architect working in Dumfries at the time, Walter Newall. The building is composed as two blocks, the main one, facing Irish Street, being better detailed and proportioned. It was built for the Commercial Bank.

Newall's drawings show that the two parts of the building were built as one building phase. The ground floor elevation to Bank Street was originally designed to have 4 bow-fronted shops at ground level. Newall was the leading architect in Dumfries from about 1820 until his retirement in 1863. This is an early work by him and the Greek revival style is typical of his work at this time.

A G Sydney Mitchell did a lot of work for the Commercial Bank during the 1880s. The drawings not only show the alterations that were carried out, but a slightly earlier scheme that involved rebuilding the bank in a different style. His drawings clearly show the layout of the bank: the bank agent's office was sited behind the colonnade and upstairs were two flats and accommodation for the bank clerks. The alterations were not particularly extensive.

The two blocks were originally listed separately. Listing updated 2007.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17794607

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

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014