The methodology for the Level 2 Historic Building Recording accords with description and guidance for Level 2 Descriptive Record as defined in Section 5.2 of the Historic England Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Practice (2016). Summarily the works will include the following key elements: a. Production of a general written description b. Production of a general photographic record c. Provision of a photographic plan (Figures 2 to 5) By utilising the work already carried out for the planning application, this Historic Building Recording provides a descriptive record of the building, utilising the existing elevation and plan drawings for the scheme (Figures 5 and 6). All external photos have been taken from the ground level without the use scaffolding or raised platforms, etc. The photographic record produced is of the building in an 'as is' condition prior to its demolition. No recording is programmed for the demolition process itself. This Level 2 Historic Building Recording (HBR) of the former NatWest Bank in Barrow-In Furness creates a photographic and descriptive record of the building prior to the approved building works. The former NatWest Bank is sited in a prominent location in the town centre of Barrow-in-Furness. The bank has a handsomely proportioned sandstone façade overlooking the urban open space of Ramsden Square. This detailing and location emphasise the prominence of competing financial institutions in Barrow during the later 19th century when the town experienced a remarkable investment and building boom. The side and rear elevations of the building are nevertheless constructed in brick, perhaps indicating that 'giving a good impression' (the front façade) was the most important aspect of the architecture of the exterior of the building. The interior of the building contains features such as the double height ground floor banking hall with structural masonry columns and the main staircase with sweeping landings, tall windows and a mahogany stair rail that have also been designed to impress in their scale and materiality. Below the main banking hall, the brick-vaulted basement contains the high-security bank vaults typical in bank. A number of specialist features on this level include vault safety doors by Chubb as well as a range of floor and wall safes. Above the Ground Floor banking hall the building features three floors of accommodation, with offices and staff welfare areas on the First and Second floors; and further accommodation and storage spaces within the attic. The amount of space provided within the building seems disproportionately generous in consideration of the likely staffing levels and the volume and frequency of clientele for the bank in a town the size of Barrow. Since the 19th century, the bank has in more recent times been in use for other businesses and then vacant for a number of years. 20th century developments have resulted in some changes to the historic decorative interiors of the building, with the most notable loss being any banking related furnishings (such as the bank counter) from within the main banking hall. Despite the deteriorating interior condition of the building, the former bank nevertheless retains a range of interesting decorative features illustrated in this report and the building remains legible as a purpose-built bank.
Elli Winterburn (Fri,) studied this question.