SOUTHPORT BRICKS
Midland Bank 1888
My View
As banks go this is a pretty impressive building on the outside. The statue on the top seals it and hides what is a very ordinary interior.
The Midland Bank building was built in 1888 by EW Johnson for the Preston Banking Company. The building is an iconic landmark in the centre of Southport – the building’s exterior adorned with a statue of Poseidon, the interior dominated by majestic high ceilings and elaborate stonework.
The bank is in Roman Corinthian style, and built in sandstone and granite. It has a front of three bays, the central portico flanked by paired columns carrying a pediment with a coat of arms and surmounted by a statue of Britannia.
Each outer pilastered bay contains a panel with a carved coat of arms and, at the top, is a balustraded parapet with gadrooned urns. Inside is a dome carried on ten columns.