Bank House, Bank of England House and Norwich Union House, Bristol
Built 1962-63
Designed by Easton, Robertson, Cusdin, Preston and Smith
Modernist Bristol
Bristol’s modernist and brutalist buildings are rarely celebrated. Some are listed, many are threatened, a few are already gone. This book is a record and an appreciation of the buildings and the era that made them possible.
These three buildings, enveloping St Mary Le Port Church, are currently being demolished (as of March 2026) to be replaced with one nine-storey and two eight-storey office blocks, shops, cafés, restaurants and bars.
Demolition was opposed by Bristol Civic Society, the 20th Century Society and Historic England. The developer’s plans claimed the buildings were of “poor quality materials and design”. I’m not sure when Portland Stone, polished granite and teak window frames have been considered poor quality.
This cluster of three buildings were built on a heavily bombed site. The Bristol branch of the Bank of England was a regional bullion centre with secure basement vaults. Built to reduce the movement of money around the country in reaction to the ‘Great Train Robbery’ of 1963 (Bank House in Leeds was built at a similar time and is now Grade II listed).
Photos taken between July 2010 and Marc h 2026.
