Lauriston House (Bank of Scotland)

Lauriston House, now a Bank of Scotland branch, is a villa constructed between 1839 and 1840, with later additions and alterations including a rear range built around 1960. The exterior is stucco over brick, with a concealed roof, stucco ridges, and rear stacks featuring cornices and iron window guards.

The building is two stories with a basement to the right return, featuring three first-floor windows. The end breakforwards are emphasized by full-height “Tower of Winds” pilasters and a continuous crowning dentil entablature with a blocking course and copings. A plinth runs along the base. A flight of six steps leads to the central entrance, which has a double four-panel door with studs, sidelights, and pilasters. Above the door is an overlight with decorative glazing bars, all within a porch supported by four fluted columns with “Tower of Winds” capitals, engaged pilasters, and a heavy dentil cornice. The main windows are tripartite, with 6/6 sash windows between 2/2 lugged sashes; those on the ground floor feature framing pilasters, while those on the first floor have a balustrade with bulbous balusters. Other windows are 6/6 sashes, taller on the ground floor. A tooled architrave highlights the central first-floor window. The basement has 8/8 sashes where original. Returns to the left and right feature three and four windows respectively, articulated with similar pilasters, and ground-floor windows with tooled architraves, friezes and cornices.

Inside, on the left side of the ground floor, you’ll find a deep cornice with a tall acanthus motif and two marble fireplaces. The hall displays a cornice with modillions and paterae, and the room to the right has a deep roll-moulded cornice, along with arches leading to the stairway. Some marble fireplaces are present on the first floor.

The ground-floor windows have individual balconies decorated with a circle motif incorporating hearts and acanthus leaves. First-floor windows on the right return have window boxes with scrolled lozenge details.

Historically, the site was shown in an 1834 map but not yet built upon. Dr Thomas Richardson Colledge (1796-1879), founder of the Medical Missionary Society, resided in the house. The villa’s design is considered particularly fine, showcasing considerable depth and ingenuity, and its three-dimensional quality is comparable to some 1830s villas by Dyer in Clifton, Bristol.