12, Tokenhouse Yard Ec2

Merchant Bank at 12 Tokenhouse Yard, dated 1872 and designed by E.A. Gruning for Huth's Bank.

The building is constructed of red brick with terracotta and stone dressings, topped by a slate mansard roof. It comprises twelve bays across three storeys with an attic storey and basements. The basement to first floors are built in gauged brick.

The ground floor features a stone plinth and cill band. The first floor is defined by a gauged brick storey band with moulded soffit. A gauged brick cornice with stone coping runs across the facade. The principal entrance is a stone segmental pedimented doorcase dated 1872, featuring a cartouche and pilasters enriched with foliate garlands supporting lion-head mask brackets, with an acanthus cyma moulded architrave. A pair of part-glazed moulded panelled doors forms the entry. Paired hardwood sashes light all ground floor windows except that to the left, which is blind; each window sits beneath a flat rubbed brick arch. A secondary entrance to the right of the main entrance has a pair of moulded panelled doors in a rectangular plain cyma moulded architrave with a garlanded cartouche beneath a large overlight. A passage to the right of the main entrance is set in a rectangular moulded stone architrave beneath a large overlight, with an iron grille, and a cartouche set over both.

Basement windows have roll moulded architraves under segmental rubbed brick arches with pronounced keystones and cast iron grilles with twisted spear-head shafts. The first floor contains tall painted timber casements with stone moulded feet and rubbed brick moulded cornices; timber blind boxes sit above the windows, which are topped by a terracotta frieze of garlands and rondels linked to upswept gablets, each featuring a rondel. The window to the far left is blind but retains similar mouldings. The second floor is set back behind the cornice, with each bay articulated by a plain brick shaft rising above a continuous cornice band and terminating in a triangular pediment-like stone coping. Casement windows are framed by narrow horizontal brick bands. Segmental-headed casement dormers and tall brick stacks with pronounced stone coping occur at every third bay.

The rear elevation is red brick with flush red brick window and doorway arches. A stair bay detail is flush with the facade, accentuating verticality. A simple ground floor round-arched window is present; above it are first and second floor triple round-headed windows with flush stone dressings, formerly containing leaded stained glass panels now stored in the building. A large cast iron framed window with moulded reveals and central shaft is also present. Segmental-headed basement openings have cast iron grilles with twisted spear-head shafts.

Interior

The hall is lined with Ionic pilasters supporting a triglyph frieze with deep modillion cornice. A three-bay Ionic screen to the left and an asymmetrical Ionic screen flanking the stair to the rear hall complete the composition.

A fine Honduras mahogany open-well stair in late 17th-century manner rises from the basement to the attic. It features an open string with moulded tread ends and twisted balusters, two per tread, with those in the basement plain and heavier. Fluted newels and a ramped moulded rail complete the stair, which is accompanied by a corresponding mahogany dado to the stairwell and landings. A round-headed window at ground floor level is supplemented by triple tall round-headed windows to half-landings at the first and second floors, each positioned between an Ionic shaft and rising with the stair. A shallow domed lantern with an eight-light top light sits above moulded pendentives, from which hangs a suspended bronze candelabra.

Pedimented doorcases with eared architraves at first floor are each enriched with an entablature. Mahogany doors with six raised and fielded panels, most retaining brass door furniture, are present throughout.

The Senior Partners' Room on the principal first floor is similarly treated to the stairwell, with opposing pairs of pedimented doorcases, a marble chimneypiece, and an ornate plasterwork ceiling. An adjoining ante-room is treated in a similar manner.

The Akroyd Room, on a domestic scale, features a coved acanthus frieze, a timber chimneypiece with an eared architrave, marble slips, floral tile flanks, and a cast iron grate. The second floor contains a restored suite of dining rooms replicating the frieze from the Akroyd Room.

The rear Board Room, restored, features a guilloche plaster frieze. A modillion cornice survives beneath a suspended ceiling of an inserted mezzanine floor.

Basement banking vaults are secured behind a heavy metal-lined door retaining a facetted brass knob and handle.

Stained glass from the stair windows was removed during the Second World War and is stored within the building.