Royal Bank Of Scotland, 6-8 Gordon Street, Glasgow

The Royal Bank of Scotland, located at 6-8 Gordon Street in Glasgow, was designed by David Rhind between 1854 and 1857 for the Commercial Bank. This Renaissance-style building stands three to four storeys high and features a double-height banking hall on the ground floor, with offices above. The façade consists of 11 bays arranged in a 3-5-3 pattern, divided by quoins, with the central bays raised. The exterior is finished in polished ashlar, showcasing a vermiculated rusticated ground floor and quoins, along with a roll moulded plinth.

The ground floor has arched openings adorned with keystone masks, an incised frieze, and sculpted cherubic panels representing industry, complemented by stepped aprons. A dentil band and guilloche frieze enhance the upper sections. The first-floor windows are designed as aedicules with balconies, supported by Corinthian antae and columns, featuring richly sculpted tympana of cherubim with heraldry above the central bay.

The second-floor windows are plain, framed with lugged, dropped architraves. This level also includes an entablature with a guilloche frieze and sculpted panels over quoin strips, along with a dentil band and modillion cornice. The outer bays have a balustrade die parapet, while the central bays feature a third-floor eaves gallery with keyblocked arched windows set in a Corinthian semi-engaged colonnade, topped with an independent, deeply bracketed cornice.

Inside, the banking hall was redesigned by James McCallum in 1937, featuring marble lining and a shallow coved ceiling. The frieze includes sculpted tablets representing industry.