72 London Street

This former savings bank was built in 1849 and designed by John Billing. The front (east) elevation is built of Bath Stone ashlar, with the ground floor channelled to create the impression of regularly dressed blocks. The south elevation is of exposed red brick, and the rear (west) elevation is painted. The roof is flat.

The building has an irregular rectangular footprint and is oriented east/west, with its main front facing east onto London Street. The front of the building is set back from the buildings on either side (numbers 70 and 74 London Street). The front elevation is arranged over three storeys, with a basement. Flanking the set-back elevation are rusticated piers that connect to the adjacent buildings. A parapet curves inwards to face the main elevation and forms a false balcony with decorative stone guilloche and fretwork. Below this balcony, carved into the stone, are the words 'Reading Savings Bank'. The ground floor has three round-headed openings: a doorway with replacement double doors on the north side, and two windows on the south side, framed by decorative pilasters. The upper front of the building projects slightly, featuring heavy rusticated quoins and a cornice with decorative modillions and panels. The first floor has a large tripartite window topped with a segmental pediment. The second floor’s window is divided into three lights with rounded arches supported by piers, and sits behind a corbelled balcony with a flat bow design. Original railings are still present in front of the building. The south elevation has no windows except for an opening on the ground floor to the west. The west elevation is four storeys high, with a single window at first- and second-floor levels, and two windows on the third floor. The ground floor is hidden by a later, single-storey addition.