Lloyd'S Bank And Attached Railings And Vaults

Lloyd's Bank and Attached Railings and Vaults

This bank occupies 47 Milsom Street and includes 2 Green Street. The building dates from the late 18th century (by 1788, as shown in Thomas Malton's drawing of Somersetshire Buildings), with major alteration and rebuilding to the right side towards Green Street in 1897, further extension in the 20th century (post-1933) to incorporate the former No.2 Green Street, and restoration in 1995. The 1897 alterations were designed by Silcock and Reay.

The building is constructed in limestone ashlar to the front, right side and rear, with a parapeted roof hipped to the right. Welsh slate covers the front and right side, with ashlar chimney stacks rising from the parapet to left and right.

The Milsom Street front comprises four storeys and basement across a five-window elevation. The first floor features five six-over-six horned sashes set in cyma moulded architraves with wrought iron balconettes concealing the sills. The centre window has a flat shouldered surround with moulded consoles supporting a dentil cornice. The second floor has five three-over-six horned sashes in cyma moulded architraves. The third floor has five three-over-three horned sashes in plain reveals. The ground floor contains four semi-circular headed 20th-century windows in plain reveals with early 20th-century wrought iron guards of Art Nouveau inspired design on moulded stone sills with recessed panels below. At the centre are a pair of three-panel moulded doors with a simple fanlight in a moulded architrave, with a carved keystone forming a bracket to a shaped panel with guttae to left and right. Incised lettering on the panel reads "LLOYD'S BANK LIMITED". The basement has three blocked openings to the left and to the right two 20th-century windows with glazing bars, possibly re-used sashes, and a 20th-century door.

The ground floor is treated as an arcade with V-jointed rustication and a moulded impost and band course forming the base to an applied Ionic giant order of pilasters rising through two storeys. The centre bay projects forward and is marked by three or four attached Ionic columns. A guilloche frieze runs over the first floor, broken by the cornice to the centre window. The entablature of the giant order above the second floor has a fluted frieze with paterae over the pilasters, breaking forward with a pediment to the centre. Unmoulded pilasters are applied to the third floor with a moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet.

The refaced right side shows horned glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves to the upper floors and 20th-century windows set in a rusticated arcade to the ground floor, representing the 1897 alteration by Silcock and Reay. This treatment was continued for a further three bays to the right when No.2 Green Street was demolished and incorporated into the bank. The east wall is ashlar except for one six-over-six sash on the second floor. From its external appearance, this appears to be a total rebuild rather than merely a refronting.

The ground floor interior has been entirely altered. An attached early 20th-century low railing with scrollwork decoration is associated with the building.

The elevation was designed to close the eastward view from Quiet Street, distinguishing it from those of its neighbours. The building has a long history of bank use: it was Bath Bank in 1791, which failed in 1841, and subsequently became Capital and Counties Bank, which undertook the 1897 alterations. The architects Silcock and Reay, responsible for the 1897 work, had their office in this building in 1906.

Historical photographs from the Bath Chronicle dated 1870 record the appearance of the Green Street elevation before the 1897 alterations, and a photograph from 1933 shows its appearance before the demolition of No.2 Green Street and its incorporation into the bank.