Bank of Ireland, 364 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6GL

Bank of Ireland (former), 364 Lisburn Road, Belfast — Neo-Georgian bank, 1935, by Adam Gerald Chaytor Millar

This is the former Lisburn Road branch of the Bank of Ireland, a compact single-storey Neo-Georgian building constructed in 1935–36, designed by Adam Gerald Chaytor Millar of Dublin (1874–1957), who served as the Bank of Ireland's architect from 1907 until 1943. The contractor was William Dowling of Cromwell Road, Belfast. The branch replaced temporary premises that had opened in September 1932 at 731 Lisburn Road, Balmoral. The building closed in spring 2021 and was vacant at the time of survey in July 2021. The listing extends to the bank building itself, the screen wall to the north, and the wrought iron gates and pillar to the south.

The building is prominently sited at the junction of Lisburn Road and Bawnmore Road, where it acts as a local landmark within the Lisburn Road Conservation Area. It is set within a spacious forecourt to the road-facing sides, the northwest portion of which is partially bounded by a low, mainly rendered wall. The original 1935 section is L-shaped in plan on a northeast–southwest axis, with the bevelled entrance corner facing directly west. All roof sections are flat and covered in asphalt. The roof of the southwest portion of the original section sits at a slightly higher level and contains the upper floor rooms, which are lit by four large rooflights. A projecting chimney stack, in materials matching the main walls, rises at the east end of this section. The differing roof heights are not visible from the ground, being effectively masked by the parapet.

The walls of the original building are constructed in English garden wall bond rustic brick with a tall painted stone plinth, cornice, parapet, door case, window surrounds, and Classical decorative elements. Extending downwards from the cornice at regular intervals are moulded drop floral and husk motifs, similar to the ends of festoons. The parapet features central podium-like blocking courses to each elevation, each topped with urns. There is a plain boxed section of the cornice which appears to be in timber and is topped with scallop-edged lead flashing; this appears to be a later addition, possibly designed to house cabling.

There are tall window openings to the main road-facing elevations — three to the northwest and two to the southwest — set in shallow recesses with plain surrounds, panelled aprons, and timber frames which appear to be replacements. The frames to the southwest have been altered to account for the upper floor now cutting across them.

The entrance is reached via a short flight of recently tiled steps with a disabled-access ramp to the southwest side. It consists of a timber panelled double door with an overlight featuring brass and lead tracery, set within a surround with a hood on console brackets, beneath which are floral and husk motifs matching those on the cornice, with wreath decoration within the frieze. To the immediate right of the entrance is a boarded-up space where an ATM was formerly located, and to the immediate left is a small painted stone panel that presumably once held a nameplate. High above each of these are Neo-Georgian light fittings. To the far right on the northwest side is a boarded-up night safe opening, with a small later opening with a metal door immediately to its left and a letter box immediately to its right. High above these is a projecting clock with two angled faces, confirmed as a post-1987 addition.

At the northeast end of the northwest elevation there is an original wall with a recent-looking pedestrian gate adjacent to the wall of the neighbouring property. At the southeast end of the southwest elevation there is an original vehicle gateway with iron spearhead gates and a pillar in materials matching the main walls.

At the intersection of the L-plan there is a relatively small stairwell projection, the upper section of which is a recent addition. The rear extension wraps around almost the entire southeast and northeast elevations, largely covering the original facades on those sides. Several relatively squat high-level windows remain visible on the exposed upper sections of the original northeast-facing walls, all with replacement timber frames. The extension itself is in sympathetic rustic brick — with slightly differing tones indicating various phases of construction — but is plain and functional and of little architectural interest. The southeast-facing wall of the stairwell projection is also in recent brick.

In its original form the bank comprised the main single storey and a fully enclosed basement. Sometime between 1966 and 1981 an extension was added to the eastern and northeastern side, and this was enlarged at a later date. The upper floor level was probably created during this second phase of enlargement; a photograph from July 1987 suggests this change occurred after that date. Plans dated 2013 indicate that the present layout of the banking hall and the configuration of partitioned rooms within the extension date from that year or shortly afterwards.

Several other changes to the Lisburn Road and Bawnmore Road frontages are documented. Raised lettering spelling out the bank's name was removed from the raised parapet sections, and a tall rooftop flagpole was removed; both of these changes occurred after approximately 1957. The alteration to the cornice, the addition of the projecting clock, and the insertion of the ATM all took place after 1987. Rainwater goods could not be observed on the original section of the building at the time of survey.