In the days when bank branches only had one manager and they were the town VIPs, this townhouse was “residence and salon” to the boss. Now anyone can live there as long as they can raise the guide price of offers over £295,000. The listed five-bedroom house includes two reception rooms, a further bedroom and reception in what used to be the servants’ quarters. Dramatic windows, ornate cornices and working shutters all linger and despite being in the centre of Duns, 40 miles south of Edinburgh, it comes with garden, garage and outbuildings.
Smiths Gore, 01289 333 030 Photograph: Smiths Gore
On the site of a former RBS sorting office and in walking distance of the City, the Goodman’s Fields development has been designed by award-winning architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands. It’s a cluster of luxury blocks, and prices start at £900,000 for a one-bedder rising to upwards of £2.5m for a three-bedroom apartment. For that you get access to a residents’ only gym and spa, and can enjoy two acres of landscaped gardens.
Knight Frank, 020 7861 5499 Photograph: Knight Frank
What was once a branch of Barclays in the heart of the village of Writtle is now two cottages with a shared entrance. The left has sold but the right is on the market for £277,500. The newly fitted kitchen opens on to a landscaped back garden, or you can visit the village green or duckpond for your outdoor fix. The two double bedrooms are upstairs with a bathroom, while downstairs there’s a separate shower room. The sash windows are double-glazed rather than original, but that is good news for your heating bills. There some nice features like exposed beams and brick fireplaces. For City bankers, there’s a train into London from nearby Chelmsford.
Beresfords, 01245 807 302 Photograph: Beresfords
In its past it’s been both a vicarage and bank, and now it’s home to a dog grooming and kenneling business. But for you it can be a substantial four-bedroom home with plenty of room for family and visitors. The large garden boasts a stable block or workshop and kennels, downstairs has two reception rooms and a timbered utility space alongside the kitchen, and you can grow into the loft room upstairs. The beautiful west Wales coast is a short drive away and there are good links to the towns of Llanelli and Carmarthen. Price: £285,000.
West Wales Properties, 01554 550 019 Photograph: West Wales Properties
Ticking at least one of the boxes as to what you expect from a bank conversion – the address begins Bank Chambers – this three-bed duplex penthouse is also in one of London’s poshest neighbourhoods. Spread over 1,300 feet on the fourth and fifth floors of the grade II listed building on Jermyn Street are those three bedrooms, one of them en suite, an eat-in kitchen and a large reception room. There’s lift service to get to them and the estate agent claims a “reliable porterage service”. Slightly oddly the en suite bedroom is on the same floor as your living space, while the other bedrooms are upstairs. You may need to work on the bank manager if you are to find the £2.35m asking price for the leasehold.
Cluttons, 020 7730 0303 Photograph: Cluttons
Built in 1898 to accommodate the Germania Bank, and since 1966 home to US photographer Jay Maisel, this six-storey limestone building has been officially designated a New York City landmark. Agents say accommodation covers a huge 37,000 square feet, from basement to roof terrace. The first two floors have 18 ft ceilings, and the estate agent says they could be ideal for retail use. No price is listed by the agents (although previously thought to be worth around $50m) and there is some mystery as to whether it is actually for sale.
RFR, +1 212 883 0526 Photograph: Jim Henderson, via Wikimedia Commons
