Description: This building was built for Nottingham and Notts, Bank, the architect being Watson Fothergill. Later it became the Westminster Bank and then the National Westminster Bank Ltd. Built between 1877-1882, the bank's head offices were designed to give its customers a feeling of security and permanence. The building is dominated by a central tower and has many wonderful carvings of animals, beasts and foliage. High up are three panels in Portland stone, depicting the principal industries of the region - mining, textiles & agriculture. The names of the towns where the bank had other branches are carved in stone along its frontage. On the first floor of the bank was a large apartment for the manager and his family. It had its own entrance from the street, and the oriel window on the first floor was the window to the manager's library. (extracted from the Watson Fothergill website)