Ulster Bank

Detached five-bay two-storey bank, built c. 1872, having two-bay single-storey extension to the northeast. Pitched natural slate roof with bracketed eaves course and with rendered chimneystacks to either gable end (southwest and northeast) having moulded cut stone capping. Painted rendered walls with rendered string and plinth courses. Square-headed window openings having replacement windows and with painted limestone sills. Keystone detailing to first floor openings. Central round-headed doorway with carved limestone architraved doorcase having projecting keystone and Doric pilasters. Timber panelled door with overlight. Flight of limestone steps to entrance flanked by cast-iron railings. Set slightly back from road with cut stone plinth wall to front (southeast) having cast-iron railings over. Located to the north end of Market Street, Granard.

This fine purpose-built bank building retains its early form, character and much of its early fabric. It dates to the late-nineteenth century, a time when a great many bank building were constructed in Irish towns and villages. The bracketed eaves course lends this building a subdued Italianate character. The well-detailed doorcase, with elegant Doric pilasters, creates a central focus and enlivens the front façade. This building has a commanding presence in the streetscape, reflecting the period when bank buildings were designed to express the solidity and wealth of the institution through their architecture. It was built to designs by Thomas Jackson and Son, a firm of architects that built a number of buildings for the Ulster Bank in the 1870s, particularly in Ulster. The cast-iron railings add further interest to the streetscape.