Where can I find information about the architecture and history of a particular bank building?

There may be clues on the building itself, such as building dates, former bank names, or initials in the stonework. There is a general guide to banking architecture: John Booker, Temples of Mammon: the Architecture of Banking (Edinburgh University Press, 1990). For published information about the specific building you are interested in, consult the Historic Environment Scotland website <https://canmore.org.uk/> [accessed 24 April 2024] and architectural guides to the area in question. Of these, the most comprehensive are the Buildings of Scotland series (Penguin & Buildings of Scotland Trust), and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland’s Illustrated Architectural Guides, (Mainstream Publishing), both of which cover most areas of Scotland. These usually devote a few sentences to each building of architectural interest.

You may be able to verify what you have found in published sources by looking at contemporary records or publications. The local studies library and/or local authority archives service should have postal directories and/or valuation rolls, and these should confirm the name of the bank(s) that operated the branch. If a newspaper covered the opening of the bank, the report might include details of the architect and building contractors.

If the bank was eventually taken over by The Royal Bank of Scotland look at the NatWest Group Heritage website <https://www.natwestgroup.com/heritage.html> [accessed 24 April 2024] which lists all 250 companies now part of the Group. For the Bank of Scotland look at the Lloyds Group website <https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/who-we-are/our-heritage/our-companies.html> [accessed 24 April 2024]. Staff at the relevant bank archives service may be able to check their property records, architectural plans and photograph collections to give you the name of the architect, the date of erection and alterations and copies of any photographs of the interior and exterior.