Late 18th to early 19th century building of the former National Westminster Bank, 5 Market Place, Saffron Walden (EHER 81018)

The building was constructed in the late 18th to early 19th century. Photographic evidence demonstrates that it had been used as a bank since at least the mid 19th century.

May 2023. Level 1 building survey. The historic building recording of the former NatWest bank at No. 5 Market Place, Saffron Walden revealed that the building was built in the late 18th or early 19th century and its façade was remodelled between 1907 and 1910 when the height of the second floor and the roof was raised, the ground floor was given a new limestone façade and the windows in the front elevation were given Classical stone surrounds. The former NatWest bank presents its principal elevation to the Market Place and King Street. Its lesser and much plainer rear elevations, i.e., those to its rebuilt rear bays, back onto Butcher Row, a narrow, pedestrian alley with medieval origins, which extends along the rear of the eastern King Street properties. The frontage is built over three storeys (ground, first and second floors) and a basement, below a pitched in-line (east-west) roof, fronted by a stone bottle balustrade. The façade is brick-built, and the ground floor storey is clad with a pale limestone facing (similar in colour to Bath stone) adopting classical motifs. This floor is symmetrical in form with two doorways, one at each end, flanking a group of three windows, although photographs show that the western doorway is a later, post 1959, conversion of a former window to a doorway. These five openings all rise to the same height, set below a plain entablature, extending the full building width and ‘supported’ by an arcade of pilaster-like columns, rising from a plinth or lower wall of ashlar blocks and a moulded skirt. The building before the remodelling is shown in photographs taken before 1910. The photographs show that it was built over three storeys with a basement. The front (north) elevation was constructed in gault brick in Flemish bond with flat headed flared brick arches to the window openings. The first-floor windows had six over six sashes, while the shorter second floor windows had three over six sashes. The building had a stone-built classical door surround. These features suggest a late 18th century to early 19th century date for the building. The building recording also revealed that the building was part of the London and County Bank (rather than the London County and Westminster Bank) when the remodelling took place, since a stair from the second floor to the attic had London and County Bank scribbled onto its tread soffits. The London & County Bank merged with the London & Westminster Bank in 1909 to form London, County & Westminster Bank Limited. It is not known how quickly the renaming of the bank took place in Saffron Walden. Also, the remodelling of the bank between 1907 and 1910 does not appear to be connected with the renaming. <1>