Rusticated stonework, deep eaves and an Italianate doorway gave a village bank the visual authority expected of nineteenth-century finance.
Quick facts
- Date
- Mid nineteenth century; branch closed 2018
- Architect / designer
- Designer not recorded
- Type
- Italianate purpose-built bank with boundary walls
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB7701)
- OS grid reference
- NS 81351 40117
Architecture and continuing use
The two-storey, three-bay front is built in yellow ashlar with rusticated quoins and unusually small-scale rustication. A columned central doorway, sash windows and a broad eaved roof establish a polite commercial presence, with the former cash-machine opening on a side elevation.
Its story
The building was probably erected as a bank in the mid nineteenth century. Royal Bank of Scotland continued branch use into the twenty-first century before including Lesmahagow in its 2018 closure programme. Parliamentary evidence records closure on 19 June that year.
Why it is included
Category B listing recognises an unusually refined small-town bank and a material record of services that once concentrated in Lesmahagow’s centre.
What to notice
- Brick-sized rustication across the stone façade.
- The columned central doorcase.
- Boundary walls and gatepiers shaping the approach.
Reading the surroundings
The building is no longer an RBS branch. Treat it as private unless a current occupier clearly invites access, and do not use the former cash-machine opening.
Timeline
- mid 19th century A purpose-built bank introduced an Italianate frontage to Abbeygreen.
- 20th century A cash-machine opening adapted the historic side elevation.
- 19 June 2018 Royal Bank of Scotland closed its Lesmahagow branch.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Closure is documented, but no dependable source confirms the building’s present occupier or completed reuse.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Former Royal Bank of Scotland, Lesmahagow, LB7701 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove designation: LB7701 — Parallel national designation identity and archival context.
- UK Parliament: evidence on RBS branch closures — Parliamentary evidence recording the planned 19 June 2018 closure of the Lesmahagow branch.
- Lesmahagow Local Place Plan — Current community-led evidence for village services, heritage, routes, priorities and development pressures.
Location
OS grid reference NS 81351 40117 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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