National Westminster Bank, 78-80 George Street, Edinburgh is a Grade A listed building in the City of Edinburgh local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 13 January 1966. Bank. 17 related planning applications.
National Westminster Bank, 78-80 George Street, Edinburgh
- WRENN ID
- old-beam-oak
- Grade
- A
- Local Planning Authority
- City of Edinburgh
- Constituency
- Edinburgh North and Leith MP: Tracy Gilbert (Lab)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 13 January 1966
- Type
- Bank
- OS grid reference
- NT 250 739
- Coordinates
- 55.95254, -3.20122
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
The National Westminster Bank, located at 78-80 George Street in Edinburgh, is an impressive 6-storey, 5-bay Edwardian Baroque office building, originally constructed between 1903 and 1907 by architect J J Burnet. It was altered around 1936 and restored by Ian Burke Associates in 1972. The building features polished cream sandstone with granite bands.
The central three bays are highlighted by a flat proscenium arch that frames a 2-storey recessed portico, which includes a pair of columns and a fascia at the ground floor, all made of fibreglass designed to mimic the original marble and bronze. Above this, there is multi-pane glazing flanked by single-storey entrances, one of which contains banking machines. The second floor has bipartite windows with aedicules on the outer bays. The third and fourth floors are adorned with giant order Ionic columns and have through glazed windows. The fifth floor features an eaves gallery supported by caryatids and has domed end pavilions, along with a balustrade and balconies.
The detailing of the pavilions is echoed on the return elevations. The Rose Street North Lane side showcases a 5-bay elevation made of white glazed tile, with glass curtains positioned between tile piers. The building also includes a variety of timber and metal glazing, along with corniced ashlar stacks.
Inside, the structure has been rebuilt as a modern office block.
Local climate
National Westminster Bank, 78-80 George Street, Edinburgh sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 970 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 53% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 43 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 25 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 17 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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