The Royal Bank Of Scotland Plc

This is a bank building, dating from approximately 1860 to 1870, originally Martin's Bank. It is an Italianate design, with a splayed corner facing Albert Road, mirroring the adjacent Lloyds Bank. The ground floor is constructed of Portland stone, featuring Ionic columns that are block-rusticated and support an entablature with two rows of dentils to the cornice. The main entrance, on the corner, has similar Ionic columns supporting an open, scroll-shaped pediment with ornate arabesque carving on console brackets. A secondary entrance in Albert Road has an intricately rusticated surround and a carved "god's head" on its keystone. The upper floors are of colour-washed brick with stucco dressings, incorporating three windows on each front, with triangular pediments above the first-floor windows. Rusticated pilasters emphasize the corners. Cornices are present above the second and third floors, topped by a panelled, flat parapet. The building forms a group with Nos 45 and 47, which are Lloyds Bank premises.