Bank of England House, Bristol
2018
Bank of England House was built in 1962–63, designed by Easton, Robertson, Cusdin, Preston and Smith (Sir Howard Robertson’s practice) and constructed by Robert McAlpine & Sons. Robertson died before it was finished, making it effectively his final work.
It was a substantial post-war regional bank: Portland-stone-clad, with granite, marble and teak details, and secure basement vaults. Its curved corner was a deliberate nod to Sir John Soane’s Bank of England in London. It was not a listed building, but the Twentieth Century Society regarded it as a non-designated heritage asset.
Its setting explains the odd juxtaposition. The medieval street pattern and St Mary le Port church were devastated in the Bristol Blitz; the church survives mainly as its 15th-century tower and ruins. Post-war reconstruction left the site as a car park before the Bank of England and Norwich Union buildings went up. It formed a trio with the later Bank House and Norwich Union House around St Mary le Port. Bristol City Council retained the freehold, while the leaseholds eventually came under one owner, Federated Hermes, in 2020
The bank ceased normal banking activity in 1996; note operations ended in June 1997 and the Bristol branch formally closed on 31 October 1997, as the Bank replaced branches with regional agencies. It then stood empty for decades until demolition took place in 2026.
Bank of England House was built in 1962–63, designed by Easton, Robertson, Cusdin, Preston and Smith (Sir Howard Robertson’s practice) and constructed by Robert McAlpine & Sons. Robertson died before it was finished, making it effectively his final work.
It was a substantial post-war regional bank: Portland-stone-clad, with granite, marble and teak details, and secure basement vaults. Its curved corner was a deliberate nod to Sir John Soane’s Bank of England in London. It was not a listed building, but the Twentieth Century Society regarded it as a non-designated heritage asset.
Its setting explains the odd juxtaposition. The medieval street pattern and St Mary le Port church were devastated in the Bristol Blitz; the church survives mainly as its 15th-century tower and ruins. Post-war reconstruction left the site as a car park before the Bank of England and Norwich Union buildings went up. It formed a trio with the later Bank House and Norwich Union House around St Mary le Port. Bristol City Council retained the freehold, while the leaseholds eventually came under one owner, Federated Hermes, in 2020
The bank ceased normal banking activity in 1996; note operations ended in June 1997 and the Bristol branch formally closed on 31 October 1997, as the Bank replaced branches with regional agencies. It then stood empty for decades until demolition took place in 2026.
