3, Market Place

PENZANCE

866/0/10020 MARKET PLACE 12-DEC-01 3

GV II

Bank; now shop. 1889; by James Hicks of Redruth; for the Devon and Cornwall Bank. Grey granite ashlar front. Roof concealed behind parapet. PLAN: Ground floor is now one large shop, formerly with banking hall at front and with stairs at rear. Victorian Italianate style. EXTERIOR: Tall building of 3 storeys. 3-bay north front with superimposed orders; 3-bay arcaded ground floor with round arches with egg-and-dart extrados, panelled intrados, keystones and piers with large moulded capitals, the centre right pier is a pair of polished pink granite colonnettes with richly carved Composite capitals. Pilasters and cornice strings to storeys above, the first floor breaks forward as an oriel on large granite console brackets and with colonnettes with Composite capitals; second floor also pilastered, the cornice breaking forward over pilasters and with parapet, the centre raised as small Dutch gable having shaped panel inscribed '1889 D and CB' and a panel in frieze below inscribed 'Estb'd 1832'. First and second floor sash windows with plate glass and C20 shop windows. INTERIOR: Ground floor now one large shop. Wooden open-well staircase at back with turned balusters and newels with ball finials. Cast-iron chimneypieces in first and second floor rooms. A good example of a Victorian local bank with an impressive granite fa?ade.