Open house tour: Bank House

The house was built in the 1760s as a pair with the adjoining Georgian House. The Tithe map of 1577 marks the well which still exists in the cellar.
In 1782, the bank Gurney & Co opened its first branch in Halesworth and in 1855 converted six of the rooms of Bank House to create the first banking hall on the site behind the facade which remains to this day and which eventually became Barclays Bank.

The current owners David and Hugh bought Bank House in 2000 and have reinstated many lost features, including the reopening of two windows on the front elevation and the reinstatement of the portico, chimney and hall stove at the rear. In 2018, following the closure of the bank, they purchased the freehold of that part of the building and among the significant changes they have made since then include reinstating six rooms back into Bank House as they originally were in 1855. Both the Bank House and the Bank facade are Grade II listed.

Undoing insensitive modifications and removing extensions added in the second half of the 20th century has enabled the garden to be reinstated and fully enclosed. The smaller Banking Hall is now a rented commercial unit.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 07 September:

11.00, 14.00 & 16.00

Location & directions

Bank House, 35 The Thoroughfare, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8AH

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

Book in advance The Cut Halesworth

Booking website:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/thecut

Accessibility details

Booking essential and tickets are limited.

Additional information

Est. tour duration:

1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

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