37, High Street

Bradford Old Bank, now Barclays Bank with offices above, was built in 1881. It is constructed of brick with stone and terracotta detailing. Situated on a corner plot, the building is designed in a Classical Jacobean style, and stands three storeys high with an attic. There is one bay facing the Market Place and two bays facing the High Street. The corner bay features double doors installed in the 20th century, within a substantial stone surround with consoles and a dentilled segmental pediment above. Above the doors are two tiers of cross-windows: sashes at the bottom and nine panes above a transom. To the left, towards the Market Place, are two stone three-light mullion and transom windows, with the lower mullions having been removed, and a similar timber-framed window above. To the left of a stone plaque, which features a classical-style frieze and cartouche bearing the words ‘Bradford Old Bank’, is a chimney stack. To the right, on the High Street side, are two four-light mullion and transom windows to the ground floor, again with lower mullions removed. Bay windows are located above, with plaques on the aprons. A mullion and transom window is present on the second floor, and an elaborately gabled attic window features a three-light mullion window on the top storey. A stack is located to the right. The building has elaborate terracotta mouldings to the gable copings, and wrought iron weather vanes. Inside, a fine original staircase was noted, though not visible during a later inspection. The bank was founded in 1785 and became a branch of Barclays Bank in 1916.