2 Bernard Street And 28 Constitution Street, Edinburgh

This is a three-storey and five-bay Italian palazzo-style bank, constructed in 1871 and designed by Peddie and Kinnear. A single-storey wing is located to the northeast. The building's front is faced with cream sandstone, polished ashlar on the front and southeast, while the rear and side elevations utilize squared and snecked rubble with stugged ashlar detailing and polished dressings.

The front elevation features a base course, a Greek key pattern frieze and cornice above the ground floor, and a cill course at the first and second floors. A string course links the window cornices, and a heavy eaves cornice incorporates antefixae and deep moulded brackets alternating with fleurons. The ground floor is channelled, and the windows are architraved with panelled aprons containing roundels. Ground floor windows are segmental-arched with console bracketed cills; first floor windows are round-arched with floral carving to the spandrels, consoled cornices; and second floor windows feature shouldered architraves and inset roundels.

On the southwest (Bernard Street) elevation, a segmental-arched doorway with a consoled pediment displays ornate anthemion guilloche carving to the jambs, a floreate frieze, and an anthemion pediment. A two-leaf panelled door is set within, with single windows above and to the remaining bays.

The northwest (Constitution Street) elevation is four bays wide, with a blank bay detailed as the front elevation featuring a tall wallhead stack. A segmental-arched doorway with a consoled cornice sits alongside a single window. Bipartite windows are located to the centre, and single windows fill the remaining bays, with a wallhead stack to the left of centre. An asymmetrical three-bay single-storey wing features an advanced broad centre bay, breaking the eaves with Ionic pilasters, cornice, and a tripartite window within a round-arched panel. Single windows flank the central bay and are located in the remaining bays.

The rear (northeast) elevation has a pitched roof, with single windows distributed across the facade.

Timber sash and case windows with plate glass glazing (4-pane to the rear) are present throughout. The roof is slate, with metal flashings. A mansard roof covers the earlier wing, complemented by three wallhead stacks and a central stack.

The interior of the main banking hall has been modernised.