Former Preston Bank

The Former Preston Bank, built between 1888 and 1889 by E.W. Johnson for the Preston Banking Company, is a bank located on Lord Street in Southport. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar, with some grey granite and polished pink granite, and features a concealed roof that is likely slate. The building is designed in the Roman Corinthian style and has a basilican form.

The exterior consists of one tall architectural storey divided into three bays, designed symmetrically without windows. It has a shallow pedimented portico at the center, a low base made of punch-dressed grey granite, and a high panelled plinth, some panels of which now contain metal safes. The giant terminal pilasters and the coupled free-standing columns of the portico are made of polished pink granite, topped with sandstone capitals. The entablature features a dentilled frieze and a modillioned cornice, while the pediment displays a crest of arms surrounded by heavy foliage and topped with a figure of Britannia. The outer bays have balustraded parapets adorned with gadrooned urns.

The portico includes a tall round-headed doorway framed by a pedimented architrave with stepped jambs of grey granite, a moulded head with a cartouche keyblock, and carved spandrels. The frieze above the doorway is inscribed with "PRESTON BANK," and the pediment is decorated with dentils and a swag. Above the doorway is a three-light blind window with a carved sill and mullions.

Each of the narrow flanking bays features a tall, richly-carved panel depicting branches entwining a cartouche with shields of arms, with Southport on the left and Preston on the right.

Inside, there is a large rectangular hall surrounded by Corinthian columns and pilasters made of polished granite on panelled pedestals. The hall has a prominent dentilled and modillioned cornice, a coved ceiling, and very large concave brackets with moulded plaster enrichment that support a large domed rectangular skylight.

The building forms a group with Nos 315-325 to the left and Nos 335 & 337 adjoining to the right.