Historic building in Larne town centre goes on the market

The former Ulster Bank branch at Upper Cross Street is on the market for £175,000 with agents Cushman and Wakefield.

Built in 1931, the property was designed by noted Belfast architect, TW Henry, and partly refurbished internally in 1991.

In its entry on the Department for Communities’ Historic Buildings Database, the premises is noted to have some distinct architectural features. “It exhibits a highly unusual form of glazing bar to its banking hall windows, retains some unusual tiling to the interior, [and] has its exterior walls clad almost entirely in ceramic blocks, an unusual material for the building type,” the database adds.

The Classical-style premises was occupied by Ulster Bank up until last year, when it shut its doors permanently following a period of intermittent closures due to Covid-19.

Ulster Bank said the move was prompted by “increased customer demand for mobile and online services”, with similar branch closures in a number of other towns across Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the listing has sparked interest locally over potential future uses for the prominently-located building.

Posting on their Facebook page, community group Larne Renovation Generation suggested a bar or restaurant might be a suitable alternative use for the former bank, while other proposals included a community hub.

Another poster pointed to the successful regeneration of similar historic bank buildings in Northern Ireland.

These included the Danske Bank premises in Whitehead, now The Bank House Café.

Earlier this year, Donaghadee’s former Ulster Bank premises featured on the BBC Northern Ireland series, Restoration Rescue.

The programme followed the transformation of the Grade B2 listed property into a modern home.

Several posters pointed out that rates and rising energy costs would be key factors for the sustainability of any new businesses in the town centre.

The property listing can be found on the Cushman and Wakefield website here.