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Summary

Description

Thornton Shiells & Thomson, 1880; Reid & Forbes, 1932, former bank at ground floor. 4-storey and basement corner block with slim Doric pilasters, bowed corner bay and Art Deco bank at ground with advanced pilastered entrance at corner. Polished channelled sandstone ashlar, cleaned at ground floor, with polished dressings; black granite band at base of ground level, grey granite band at cill level above; rendered surrounds at 3rd floor. Base course; frieze to ground floor; corniced cill course to 3rd floor; cornice and blocking course; single coped wallhead stack to each elevation. Scalloped cills to windows at ground; moulded margins to 1st and 2nd floor windows; cornices to 1st floor windows; bracketed cills to 2nd floor windows.

SW (WEST MAITLAND STREET) ELEVATION: 4-storey, 5-bay, advanced at ground: fine moulding with cartouche at head bordering opening to deep-set panelled timber door to bay to left at ground; rectangular opening above with ironwork grille; deep-set windows to 4 bays to right, set in recessed panel; stylised capitals and moulded pedestals to recessed flanking pilasters; relief rosette above outer window bays; disc and guilloche pattern to frieze; pair of Doric pilasters frame bay to outer left at 1st and 2nd floor level; regular fenestration to all bays, upper floors.

Corner bay: advanced; framed at 1st and 2nd floor by 2 pairs of Doric pilasters with mutual base and cornice. Advanced bank entrance at ground; black granite to entrance returns; deep-set 2-leaf timber panelled entrance door with lion-faced knockers, carved timber disc pattern frieze and semicircular fanlight fronted by ornate ironwork frame; large glazed panels with geometrical-pattern metal astragals to 2-leaf inner doors; entrance framed by segmental-arched moulding and narrow panelled pilasters encapsulated by large pedestalled panelled pilasters, with stylised Egyptian capitals, supporting plain frieze and key patterned cornice incorporating elaborate cartouche; bowed bipartite windows to floors above.

NE (PALMERSTON PLACE) ELEVATION: 4-storey and basement, 4-bay, advanced at ground: base course and banded cill course to basement; grilled, deep-set windows to bays at basement, except penultimate bay to left; deep-set timber door to penultimate bay to left; bull-faced boundary wall to right, coped at street level; deep-set window to each bay at ground; window to outer right set in recessed panel with recessed guilloche frieze at head and advanced block cill; 3 windows at left set in recessed panel; stylised capitals and moulded pedestals to recessed flanking pilasters; relief rosette above outer bays of 3; disc and guilloche pattern to frieze; pair of Doric pilasters frame bay to outer right at 1st and 2nd floor level; regular fenestration to all bays, upper floors.

Metal-framed, margin-paned glazing to ground floor windows; 2-pane timber sash and case glazing to upper floors. Grey slate roof, bowed at corner; coped mutual and shouldered wallhead stacks; tall moulded cylindrical cans; cast-iron rainwater goods.

RAILINGS: spear-headed railings with urn finials set in coping to Palmerston Place.

INTERIOR: although converted to shop use, the 1930s bank fittings remain intact, notably: fine wooden doorcases with carved details and, above the entrance to the manager's office, a wooden clock set on naturalistic carving; multiple cornicing, with bands of geometric decoration to the banking hall's 3 globe chandeliers; anthemion motifs to pilaster capitals.

Statement of Special Interest

Part of New Town A-Group. West Maitland Street was part of the Easter Coates estate owned by the Walker Trustees who, along with the Heriot's Trust, owned large tracts of land in the West of Edinburgh.

References

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