Barclays Bank

Barclays Bank, located at Market Place in Wells, is a house with a shop, now used as a bank, dating back to approximately 1453. It was originally constructed as part of the "New Works" initiated by Bishop Bekynton and underwent modifications in the early 18th and 20th centuries. The property extends through to No. 4A, Cathedral Green.

The building is rendered with a false ashlar lining and is colourwashed, with a Welsh slate roof hidden behind a parapet and a brick chimney stack. The exterior is three storeys high with an attic, featuring a single wide bay. The ground floor incorporates a projecting, mid-20th century shop front in three bays, with a slate plinth, ashlar sides, and fluted posts separating the bays. The left and centre bays have 12-pane sash windows, while the right bay features a pair of 3-flush-panel doors topped with a 3-pane fanlight, all set under a deep fascia and felted flat roof. The upper floors have been altered; the first floor has a wide bow window with three 12-pane sash windows divided by pilasters, a triglyph frieze, and a lead flat roof, and the second floor has a single 9-pane sash window in a plain opening.

The parapet steps up from No. 7 and is recessed in the centre, with traces of the original medieval string course visible beneath the rendering. A small, flat-roofed dormer is situated behind the parapet on the left-hand side, and a stack is positioned to the right with a raised, coped verge. A projecting sign is located at ground floor level on the left. The facade facing Cathedral Green (No. 4A) was rebuilt in the mid-20th century with rendered walls, a pantiled roof, 12-pane sash windows, and panelled doors.

The interior of the ground floor front features a 20th-century ceiling and a 4-centred arch through a medieval wall. A 20th-century staircase is also present. The first floor front retains a section of early ceiling, while the second floor reveals an exposed roof with arch-braced collar trusses, chamfered wind-braces, and two purlins; the central truss has an added iron tie. The rear section of the roof was virtually rebuilt, although some elements of the original trusses have been preserved.

The building is part of an impressive late medieval planned urban group and holds group value in that context. No. 4A, Cathedral Green, was also listed on 13 September 1972.