Barclays Bank

Barclays Bank, located at No 1 King Street, is a Grade II listed building designed by architect J H Morton in 1909. The structure is built of ashlar and consists of three storeys with seven bays, featuring a quadrant plan that connects King Street to Fowler Street. The ground floor is heavily rusticated and sits above a high plain plinth. The windows, central entrance, and door from Fowler Street have semi-circular hooded openings adorned with scrolled keystones. The first-floor openings are framed with architraves and alternate between triangular and segmental pediments, complemented by a continuous cill band and cast iron balconies. The second-floor windows are fitted with moulded architraves. The building is topped with an entablature featuring a modillion cornice and a balustraded parapet. Each end bay projects forward to create a pavilion effect, with Ionic pilasters that rise above the ground floor to support open pediments, each containing a cartouche in the tympanum. This building is a notable example of early 20th-century "Bankers Classical" architecture in South Shields, situated in a prominent location.