Lloyds Bank - Bristol
March 2016
Most recently a Lloyds branch on Corn Street this building is one of the grandest and oldest buildings in the Bristol's city centre. The bank is one of the last of the grand financial institutions in Corn Street - which was at its peak the heart of the city’s trade and commerce. The listed building, which was built in the 1840s, was inspired by a library in Venice and was originally the headquarters of the West of England and South Wales Bank. However, the bank went out of business within 20 years and was taken over by Lloyds who have had a branch on Corn Street until the closure of this bank in February 2014. Lloyds is returning the building to its owners, a London based investment company who have transformed it, along with the adjacent bank next door, into the Bristol Harbour Hotel.
Corn Street was the commercial centre of Bristol in the 19th Century and most of the biggest deals were struck in the banks and offices in the area. The bank was one of the most important in the area and was built by Bristol architects Bruce Gingell and TR Lysaght in 1848. Gingell was one of the city’s best known and most influential architects and he went on to design the General Hospital in Redcliffe. The designers are said to have used St Mark’s library in Venice as an inspiration for the design of the bank. John Thomas, the artist responsible for overseeing the carving on the Houses of Parliament, was asked to create the friezes which adorn the Grade II listed building. On the ground floor the official crests of Newport, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, and Cardiff – the main towns from where the bank operated, are still on display. The first floor have works depicting the ‘elements and sources of wealth’ which include justice and integrity; education and charity; peace and plenty; art and science; commerce, navigation and commerce.
Most recently a Lloyds branch on Corn Street this building is one of the grandest and oldest buildings in the Bristol's city centre. The bank is one of the last of the grand financial institutions in Corn Street - which was at its peak the heart of the city’s trade and commerce. The listed building, which was built in the 1840s, was inspired by a library in Venice and was originally the headquarters of the West of England and South Wales Bank. However, the bank went out of business within 20 years and was taken over by Lloyds who have had a branch on Corn Street until the closure of this bank in February 2014. Lloyds is returning the building to its owners, a London based investment company who have transformed it, along with the adjacent bank next door, into the Bristol Harbour Hotel.
Corn Street was the commercial centre of Bristol in the 19th Century and most of the biggest deals were struck in the banks and offices in the area. The bank was one of the most important in the area and was built by Bristol architects Bruce Gingell and TR Lysaght in 1848. Gingell was one of the city’s best known and most influential architects and he went on to design the General Hospital in Redcliffe. The designers are said to have used St Mark’s library in Venice as an inspiration for the design of the bank. John Thomas, the artist responsible for overseeing the carving on the Houses of Parliament, was asked to create the friezes which adorn the Grade II listed building. On the ground floor the official crests of Newport, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, and Cardiff – the main towns from where the bank operated, are still on display. The first floor have works depicting the ‘elements and sources of wealth’ which include justice and integrity; education and charity; peace and plenty; art and science; commerce, navigation and commerce.
