Royal Bank Of Scotland, 42 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh

The Royal Bank of Scotland, located at 42 St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, was designed by Leslie Graham Thomson with Arthur Davis (Mewes and Davis) as a consultant, and constructed between 1936 and 1942. This four-storey and mezzanine building features a seven-bay design and presents a massive, austere cubic palazzo style on a corner site, complete with a portico in antis. The structure has an H-plan layout, with a double-height banking hall connecting the front and rear blocks. It is built from polished cream sandstone ashlar, with rustication at the ground and mezzanine levels, topped by a cornice. The first-floor windows have balustraded aprons, and there is a string course at the third floor. The cornice and balustraded parapet effectively conceal the roof.

On the St Andrew Square elevation, the building is rusticated at the ground and mezzanine levels, featuring arched windows on the ground floor and a giant distyle Roman Doric portico in antis at the center. The first floor has three central windows that are architraved and corniced. The West Register Street elevation mirrors this design, with a recessed center on the upper floors and a later flying link across the lane.

Inside, the building showcases finely detailed and preserved inter-war marbled modern design by Thomson and F J Connell. The top floors contain boardrooms, and the interior features concave marble architraves and dados, along with simple moulded cornices throughout. The entrance block includes a spectacular top-lit circular atrium at the center, with a brass balcony on each floor. The entrance to the banking hall is now blocked, but the marble Banking Hall itself is notable for its giant Ionic pilasters and a series of engraved windows, although it has been divided by suspended floors and ceilings.