Midland Bank

The Midland Bank, located at 53 and 54 Abbeygate Street in Bury St Edmunds, is a building that was originally two separate houses and shops. The front of No. 53 dates from the early 18th century, while No. 54 has a later front that matches the style of No. 53. The building is constructed of red brick in English bond, featuring a panelled brick parapet and a stone modillion cornice with a dentilled frieze. The join between the two fronts is clearly visible in the brickwork. The steeply-pitched roof is covered with fishscale slates.

The building has two storeys and attics, as well as cellars. No. 53, on the east side, has end chimney-stacks set into gables with high brick copings. It features a six-window range with small-paned sashes set in plain shallow reveals with gauged heads. There are four flat-headed dormers in the roof, each with four-pane casement windows. A modillion stone band with a brick band above runs between the storeys. On the ground floor, plate glass windows extend to ground level and are separated by a row of Tuscan columns.

Inside, the building retains some moulded plasterwork from the original Edwardian bank conversion. In the vestibule, there are dentils and paterae on the boxed-in beams.