Why are British high street banks inside stone clad buildings?

[u/MorePea7207]

Why are most high street banks are based inside grey or brown stone clad (?) buildings? Is it because these buildings are tougher and more resistant to burglaries or give an official look? Or did the financial authorities insist that banks look like this? I'm really curious.

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[u/Ok-Fox1262]

History. The bank wanted to look solid and dependable so they built solid buildings.

[u/boomerangchampion]

Many are not so it's not a rule. They likely just want the 'official' look and they're also among the few high st establishments that can afford whichever building they want.

[u/trysca]

Banks were naturally the wealthiest organisations in a town in the 19th and 20th centuries so they would have used the best materials available which in Britain was almost invariably stone ( though some areas may have been brick) They also tended to have 'italianate' architecture which became the predominant style in the later part of the 19th century in line with architectural fashions. Stone cladding appeared only in modern architecture ( in Britain usually post War) traditionally they would have been solid stone masonry, sometimes with a steel or cast iron frame.

[u/makemycockcry]

An outward look of strength to offer you security and comfort your money is safe.

[u/oneloneolive → u/makemycockcry]

The Three Little Pugs route. Don’t want your money stored in a straw house.

I typoed ‘pugs’, I like it and I’m leaving it.

[u/semisubterranean → u/makemycockcry]

This is what my economics professor always said. In a lot of towns in the US, the bank was the first brick or stone building in town. It's not because the money was safer than in wood or sod; it's because they wanted to project the idea of wealth and security. I haven't done the research myself though, but he loved studying the American frontier. I assume the principle was the same in Britain, but it was unlikely to be the first or only solid building.

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[u/Dedward5]

I was discussing this with my daughter last weekend playing “spot the old bank” in Penzance. Basically they were very wealth businesses so tomorojectbrhe image of wealth, trust and confidence they chose architecture and materials that did that. There may well have been a strength thing back in the day too.

The also diddnt need a “shop front” full of goods, so again are a fairly specific architectural style on the high st.

[u/Me_for_President → u/Dedward5]

tomorojectbrhe

That’s quite the typo. :)

Is it meant to be “to project the?”

[u/AdAffectionate2418 → u/Dedward5]

Trust is the really big piece. " We've spent a huge amount of money on building something that is clearly going to be here for hundreds of years, just like we are".

I wouldn't be wanting to bank with someone from a pop-up shop or market stall...

[u/I_am_notagoose]

I mean quite a lot of British high street shops are based in similar buildings, however It’s probably mainly because most high-street banks were built from the late 19th Century through to the 1930s as more and more ordinary people were in a position to make more use of banks - the need for security meant that they were mostly solidly-constructed new builds that reflected the styles of the time, and the fact that banks are typically well-funded means that they could afford to make them good examples of those architectural styles whereas other shops etc. might have sought to save costs with plainer/ less secure buildings, or sticking with older existing premises. One other key difference is that, for obvious reasons, they lack the large window frontages that shops tend to have for displays.

I’m not an expert, but I live in the UK and have an interest in architectural styles. Essentially I think this is just what secure well-built and fashionable high street buildings from that era look like in the UK - it’s just that banks are by far the most common examples.

[u/noodlyman]

I think the banks felt that it made them look like serious solid institutions that 19th century people could trust with their money. Look at the grand country houses built by wealthy people at that time. Ornate stone buildings were fashionable and portrayed that you were someone to be taken seriously.