15 West Street, Lloyds TSB Bank

The bank is in the Edwardian Baroque style, of sandstone ashlar with rusticated ground floor and pilasters extending to the eaves on the corners, surmounted by broken-bed pediments in a deeply-moulded cornice. To the centre Ionic pilasters divide the window openings. There are large round-headed arched window and door surrounds with prominent, carved keystones to the ground floor. The rectangular window openings to the upper floors are embellished in the central part of the first floor by broken-bed pediments. The stone chimneys have cornice detail.
The interior of the Banking Hall survives largely intact and is well-kept with original cornicing and decorative leaf mouldings, ceiling roses to the corners and attractive lights to the top of the doors. The ground floor window frames have interesting and unusual carved detail, with replacement alloy frames to the upper floors.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Lloyd’s Bank building enjoys a prominent corner position where its dignified presence can have greatest impact, on a principal street at the centre of Gateshead. The grandiose architectural style befits its function as home to a financial institution as well as clearly differentiating the public ground floor space from the private upper floors. At the time it was built it would have been in a key position, adjacent to the seat of civic power, when there were also many significant buildings on the other side of the road which are now gone. It is, therefore, an important commercial survival.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There was a branch of Lloyds on this site during the Victorian period, until this rebuilding at cost of £5500. The manager at the time of rebuilding was J W Dick.
MATERIALS Sandstone
ARCHITECT George Reavell Jnr, Alnwick
DATES 1914
The building was formerly on the Gateshead Local List but was listed Grade II in 2023.