18-26, GREY STREET

Nos. 18 to 26 on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne are shops and houses that were later converted into a bank and are now used as offices. The building was designed in 1836 by John Dobson for Richard Grainger, with the ground floor altered around 1890 by Newcombe. It is constructed from sandstone ashlar with granite and features a Lakeland roof. The structure has four storeys and attics, arranged in five bays.

The ground floor showcases pink and grey granite Corinthian columns on an ashlar plinth, flanking a lugged architrave. The windows are bordered by pilasters with ashlar reveals, and there is an entablature with a modillioned cornice above. The giant Corinthian Order above defines the end bays, featuring overlapping pilasters and windows set within architraves. The first-floor windows have bracketed pediments, while the second-floor windows are lugged with bracketed sills.

The three central recessed bays have pilaster jambs for the first-floor windows, and there is a mask-decorated parapet with urn finials above the door. A balustrade runs along the second-floor level, with wreath decorations between the bays. The second-floor entablature also has a modillioned cornice. The top floor includes architraves for the windows in the end pavilions and plain reveals for the central three windows. The top cornice and parapet feature a balustrade over the pavilions. The building has an inserted mansard roof and square-headed attic windows. The interior was rebuilt around 1981.