Barclays Bank

Barclays Bank is a bank and associated Bank Chambers dating to 1875, designed by Crosby & Hetherington of Carlisle for the Carlisle and Cumberland Banking Company. The bank is constructed of calciferous sandstone ashlar with a moulded plinth, string courses, bracketed sill bands, and a cornice. It has a slate roof, partially obscured from ground level, and an original ashlar end chimney stack. The building occupies a prominent corner position with an angle bay and a three-bay return fronting Bank Street. The main entrance features C20 panelled doors within a heavily moulded round-arched surround, adorned with carved leaf capitals and label stops. The ground floor features round-arched casement windows with columned surrounds and similar carved details, with the two right-hand windows having raised sills to accommodate cash-dispensing machines; the extreme right window was originally a door. First-floor sash windows are set within chamfered stone surrounds with carved leaf decoration. Second-floor sash windows sit within bolection surrounds. A similar doorway and windows are present on the Bank Street return. The interior details are largely concealed behind C20 cladding, with the ground floor banking hall extending into Bank Chambers, which also contains offices above. Original plans are held at Cumbria County Record Office.

Bank Chambers, which adjoin the bank along the Bank Street facade, are dated 1875 and have undergone C20 alterations. They are constructed of cream brickwork with calciferous sandstone ashlar dressings, flush quoins, string courses, and a cornice. They also have a slate roof obscured from ground level and an original cream brick ridge chimney stack. The building is three storeys and five bays, with a left-hand door and fanlight within a pointed, columned surround under a hoodmould, inscribed with "BANK CHAMBERS" and the date. Ground-floor windows were inserted in the 1980s, replacing a C20 shop front, and are designed to be in keeping with the bank and the adjoining building; they feature round-headed stone arches in a triple-chamfered surround. A first-floor columned arcade of round arches is punctuated by paired windows separated by blind arches, with the pair on the left now blocked. Sash windows above are set within moulded brick reveals with moulded stone lintels. The interior has been extensively altered.